Constitutive and induced insect resistance in RNAi-mediated ultra-low gossypol cottonseed cotton.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Besides fibers, cotton plants also produce a large amount of seeds with a high oil and protein content. The use of these seeds is restricted by their high contents of the terpenoid gossypol, which is harmful to humans and livestock. Using a genetic engineering approach, "Ultra-low gossypol cottonseed" (ULGCS) plants were produced by knocking down an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of a precursor of gossypol. This was accomplished via RNAi-mediated silencing of the target gene using a seed-specific α-globulin promotor. Since gossypol is also a crucial defense mechanism against leaf-feeding herbivores, ULGCS plants might possess lower herbivore resistance than non-engineered plants. Therefore, we tested the constitutive and inducible direct insect resistance of two ULG

SUBMITTER: Hagenbucher S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6639952 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature