Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2020
Wild strawberry shows genetic variation in tolerance but not resistance to a generalist herbivore
Wang, Minggang; Muola, Anne; Anderson, Peter; Stenberg, Johan A.Abstract
Plants' defenses against herbivores usually include both resistance and tolerance mechanisms. Their deployment has predominantly been studied in either single-plant genotypes or multiple genotypes exposed to single herbivores. In natural situations, however, most plants are attacked by multiple herbivores. Therefore, aims of this study were to assess and compare the effects of single and multiple herbivores on plant resistance and tolerance traits, and the consequences for overall plant performance. For this, we exposed multiple genotypes of wild woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) to jasmonic acid (JA), to mimic chewing herbivory and induce the plants' defense responses, and then introduced the generalist herbivoreSpodoptera littoralisto feed on them. We found that woodland strawberry consistently showed resistance toS. littoralisherbivory, with no significant genetic variation between the genotypes. By contrast, the studied genotypes showed high variation in tolerance, suggesting evolutionary potential in this trait. Prior JA application did not alter these patterns, although it induced an even higher level of resistance in all tested genotypes. The study provides novel information that may be useful for breeders seeking to exploit tolerance and resistance mechanisms to improve strawberry crops' viability and yields, particularly when multiple herbivores pose significant threats.Keywords
cotton leafworm; Fragaria vesca; jasmonic acid; plant defense syndrome; plant defenses; plant resistance; plant tolerance; resistance breeding; woodland strawberryPublished in
Ecology and Evolution2020, volume: 10, number: 23, pages: 13022-13029
Publisher: WILEY
Authors' information
Wang, Minggang
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Wang, Minggang
Beijing Forestry University
University of Turku
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Stenberg, Johan A. (Stenberg, Johan A)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Plant Protection Biology
Associated SLU-program
SLU Network Plant Protection
UKÄ Subject classification
Agricultural Science
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6888
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/108669