A recent study to discover new resistance to Hessian fly infestations in wheat is paying dividends.
Researchers at the University of Purdue found that the snowdrop lectin, a protein originating from the snowdrop plant, reduces Hessian fly growth.
“The Hessian fly continues to overcome native genes for resistance in wheat,” said Richard Shukle, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The primary way the insect is controlled is through genetic resistance,” he said. “(It) is controlled by a single dominant gene in wheat.”
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Shukle said researchers identify potentially resistant genes from other plant species by examining their proteins.
“For years, people have been trying to develop … (a feeding assay) with the Hessian fly larvae,” he said.
A feeding assay is a method of testing the effectiveness of toxins derived from plant proteins to fight against crop pest infestation. Shukle used snowdrop lectin in his Hessian fly feeding assay.
He allowed Hessian fly larvae to infest wheat seedlings that were treated with the snowdrop lectin and found the lectin caused larvae growth to be reduced.
He believes this occurred because it damaged the insect’s internal nutritional mechanism.
Shukle said Hessian fly larvae can irreversibly damage a wheat plant after feeding on it for four days.
It will stunt a plant’s growth to such an extent that it will never be able to produce wheat, he added.
“(Ideally), we are looking for a toxin that would … kill larvae prior to that critical four days,” he said.
“The snowdrop lectin (will not) do that, but it may prevent them from completing their development.”
The lectin can also be used with other toxins, which can target the nervous system of the larvae.
Shukle believes snowdrop lectin has the potential to provide long-lasting resistance if combined with natural wheat genes or genetic material transferred from other plant species.
The study examined nine lectins, also know as antinutrient proteins, which are known to possess digestive disruption properties.
