Do Plant Phenolics Confer Resistance to Specialist and Generalist Insect Herbivores?

J. L. Bi; G. W. Felton; J. B. Murphy; P. A. Howles; R. A. Dixon; C. J. Lamb

doi:10.1021/jf970555m

Do Plant Phenolics Confer Resistance to Specialist and Generalist Insect Herbivores?

J. L. Bi, G. W. Felton, J. B. Murphy, P. A. Howles, R. A. Dixon, C. J. Lamb

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

65 Scopus citations

Abstract

The impact of phenolics on a specialist herbivore, Manduca sexta, and a generalist herbivore, Heliothis virescens, was investigated using transgenic tobacco with differential expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Foliar phenolics such as chlorogenic acid, rutin, and total flavonoids differentially accumulated in the respective transgenic tobacco lines; the amount of chlorogenic acid ranged from 201 to 2202 μg g^-1 of fresh leaf, that of total flavonoids from 211 to 500 μg g^-1 of fresh leaf, and that of rutin from 73 to 172 μg g^-1 of fresh leaf. However, the levels of the phenolics and larval growth of M. sexta or H. virescens were not significantly correlated. Likewise, phenolic levels were not correlated with larval survival of M. sexta. These results suggest that plant phenolics are not a determining factor for host plant resistance against these insects in this system.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	4500-4504
Number of pages	5
Journal	Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
Volume	45
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/jf970555m
State	Published - Nov 1997

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General Chemistry
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Access to Document

10.1021/jf970555m

Cite this

@article{c09d3ad7b1154caf8272bb69d01f2775,

title = "Do Plant Phenolics Confer Resistance to Specialist and Generalist Insect Herbivores?",

abstract = "The impact of phenolics on a specialist herbivore, Manduca sexta, and a generalist herbivore, Heliothis virescens, was investigated using transgenic tobacco with differential expression of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase. Foliar phenolics such as chlorogenic acid, rutin, and total flavonoids differentially accumulated in the respective transgenic tobacco lines; the amount of chlorogenic acid ranged from 201 to 2202 μg g-1 of fresh leaf, that of total flavonoids from 211 to 500 μg g-1 of fresh leaf, and that of rutin from 73 to 172 μg g-1 of fresh leaf. However, the levels of the phenolics and larval growth of M. sexta or H. virescens were not significantly correlated. Likewise, phenolic levels were not correlated with larval survival of M. sexta. These results suggest that plant phenolics are not a determining factor for host plant resistance against these insects in this system.",

author = "Bi, {J. L.} and Felton, {G. W.} and Murphy, {J. B.} and Howles, {P. A.} and Dixon, {R. A.} and Lamb, {C. J.}",

year = "1997",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1021/jf970555m",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "45",

pages = "4500--4504",

journal = "Journal of agricultural and food chemistry",

issn = "0021-8561",