Tomato is at the top of the list of plants with pesticide residues. West Virginia University researchers are successfully working on tomato plants that can protect themselves from pests with little or no pesticide use.
In this regard, Vagner Benedito , associate professor of biochemical genetics at Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resorces and Design, is conducting studies to understand the important genetic characteristics of tomato, which is one of the most economically popular crops in the world.
Stating that some wild tomato species, which are closely related to bred tomatoes, have very high levels of resistance to insects, Benedito said that this insect-resistant feature is called glandular trichomes (small hair-like hairs on tomatoes), which have specific chemicals to give resistance to a wide range of pests. He said that plants depend on a structure on their leaves.
Benedito , who received a grant of 400 thousand dollars from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, in this project, where he works to understand the genes that make this trichome , and as a result, to make the bred tomatoes resistant to insects, researcher Eloisa Vendemiatti and world-renowned tomato geneticist Lázaro from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He also collaborates with Perez .
Stating that it will be a final product that he expects with excitement and curiosity, Benedito stated that at the end of the study, there will be tomato varieties that are resistant to pests and do not use much pesticides as today.
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The researchers will cross a wild tomato variety with Micro-Tom , a fast-growing tomato variety, to create the pest-resistant strain.
The research group found the tiny hairs on the tomato plant trichome four and the ones it produces; They will analyze Acylsugar (Acylsugar: The oil-laden and resistant substance from which insects escape).
Plants meeting certain levels of pest resistance will be backcrossed with the micro tomato to produce a tomato with the similarity of the micro tomato and the pest resistance of the wild tomato.
According to Benedito, once we understand the genetics behind the development of type-4 trichomes in tomatoes, we can apply it to another important crop like the potato. Considering that the application of these studies, even for tomatoes, is 4 years , its applicability to other crops seems to be a later date.
The most important aspects of research for Benedito are identifying pest resistant genes, obtaining a pest resistant genotype and presenting these new varieties to producers.
Stating that his research is to make tomatoes more environmentally friendly and sustainable, Benedito said that he wants to reduce the use of pesticides and make the product safer and more consumable.