Plant Tolerance: A Unique Approach to Control Hemipteran Pests

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Entomology
• Plant-Insect Interactions

Background:

• Plant tolerance to insect pests is a distinct resistance category with limited mechanistic understanding.
• Tolerance enables plants to endure herbivore damage via compensatory growth and physiological adjustments.
• Tolerant plants can host significant herbivore populations without negatively impacting insect physiology or behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize existing research on plant tolerance mechanisms against hemipteran insects.
• To present potential models for understanding plant tolerance to insect pests.
• To highlight the importance of plant tolerance in managing economically significant pests.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on plant tolerance to insect pests, particularly hemipterans.
• Synthesis of findings on plant compensatory physiological processes and growth.
• Analysis of molecular and hormonal mechanisms involved in plant tolerance.

Main Results:

• Tolerant plants exhibit photosynthetic compensation, avoiding feedback inhibition and photosystem II impairment caused by insect feeding.
• Upregulation of peroxidases, oxidative enzymes, and phytohormones contributes to plant tolerance.
• Hemipteran pests (aphids, whiteflies) are economically significant due to high reproductive rates and virus transmission.

Conclusions:

• Plant tolerance is a crucial, yet understudied, mechanism for managing insect pests.
• Understanding tolerance mechanisms can lead to novel pest management strategies.
• Further research into plant tolerance, especially against hemipterans, is warranted.