Location: Vegetable Research
Project Number: 6080-22000-030-005-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: May 1, 2017
End Date: Apr 30, 2022
Objective:
Identify sources of pickleworm resistance in cucumbers, and characterize the physical and chemical mechanisms of this resistance.
Approach:
This study proposes to evaluate existing cucumber plant introduction lines for pickleworm resistance, and to understand the underlying mechanism(s) of the resistance. Field studies will be conducted to evaluate cucumber lines that have never been tested for resistance to pickleworm. This work will be done at USVL using natural infestations of pickleworm moths. Initially, this work will be simultaneous with evaluations of many cucumber lines (i.e., choice tests) in small plots; further studies will transition into larger plots of candidate lines in no-choice scenarios. Oviposition rate, larval development and survival, and damage to plant reproductive structures will be measured. Laboratory studies using behavioral assays (choice and no-choice tests) will be conducted to identify and characterize the factor(s) important for resistance.
