Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses of crop plants each year. Excessive dependence on insec- ticides for long-term aphid control is undesirable because of the development of insecti...Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses of crop plants each year. Excessive dependence on insec- ticides for long-term aphid control is undesirable because of the development of insecticide resistance, the potential negative effects on non-target organisms and environmental pollution. Transgenic crops engineered for resistance to aphids via a non-toxic mode of action could be an efficient alternative strategy. （E）-β-Farnesene （EβF） synthases catalyze the formation of EβF, which for many pest aphids is the main component of the alarm pheromone involved in the chemical communication within these species. EβF can also be synthesized by certain plants but is then normally contaminated with inhibitory compounds. Engineering of crop plants capable ofsynthesizing and emitting EβF could cause repulsion of aphids and also the attraction of natural enemies that use EβF as a foraging cue, thus minimizing aphid infestation. In this review, the effects of aphids on host plants, plants＇ defenses against aphid herbivory and the recruitment of natural enemies for aphid control in an agricultural setting are briefly introduced. Furthermore, the plant-derived EβF synthase genes cloned to date along with their potential roles in generating novel aphid resistance via genetically modified approaches are discussed.展开更多
基金Some work mentioned in this review is partly funded by the Research Initiative on Development of Disease and Insect Resistance Transgenic Wheat Plants supported by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (2008ZX08002-001)Natural Science Foundation of China (31171618)+1 种基金the EU FP7 OPTICHINA Project (266045)Rothamsted Research receives grant-aided support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) of the UK
文摘Aphids are major agricultural pests that cause significant yield losses of crop plants each year. Excessive dependence on insec- ticides for long-term aphid control is undesirable because of the development of insecticide resistance, the potential negative effects on non-target organisms and environmental pollution. Transgenic crops engineered for resistance to aphids via a non-toxic mode of action could be an efficient alternative strategy. （E）-β-Farnesene （EβF） synthases catalyze the formation of EβF, which for many pest aphids is the main component of the alarm pheromone involved in the chemical communication within these species. EβF can also be synthesized by certain plants but is then normally contaminated with inhibitory compounds. Engineering of crop plants capable ofsynthesizing and emitting EβF could cause repulsion of aphids and also the attraction of natural enemies that use EβF as a foraging cue, thus minimizing aphid infestation. In this review, the effects of aphids on host plants, plants＇ defenses against aphid herbivory and the recruitment of natural enemies for aphid control in an agricultural setting are briefly introduced. Furthermore, the plant-derived EβF synthase genes cloned to date along with their potential roles in generating novel aphid resistance via genetically modified approaches are discussed.
