Resource allocation trade-offs and the loss of chemical defences during apple domestication.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Most crops have been dramatically altered from their wild ancestors with the primary goal of increasing harvestable yield. A long-held hypothesis is that increased allocation to yield has reduced plant investment in defence and resulted in crops that are highly susceptible to pests. However, clear demonstrations of these trade-offs have been elusive due to the many selective pressures that occur concurrently during crop domestication.

Methods

To provide a robust test of whether increased allocation to yield can alter plant investment in defence, this study examined fruit chemical defence traits and herbivore resistance across 52 wild and 56 domesticated genotypes of apples that vary >26-fold in fruit size. Ninety-six phenolic metabolites were quantified i

SUBMITTER: Whitehead SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6589505 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature