In defence of beauty: exploiting natural variation in thrips resistance in Chrysanthemum

Summary

Chrysanthemums are one of the most important ornamental flowers in the world but their production is affected by several pests, among which thrips. Thrips are tiny insects that not only directly damage the plants by feeding on them, but also spread destructive plant viruses, leading to unmarketable flowers. Thrips control with chemical pesticides is often ineffective, and not sustainable. An alternative and promising addition to thrips control strategies are resistant Chrysanthemum varieties on which the insects cannot survive. This study screened Chrysanthemum varieties and wild relatives for resistance to thrips, using various newly developed phenotyping methods. We identified plants with strong resistance against thrips and explored the possibility of incorporating their resistance traits into cultivated varieties. This study also looked at how different thrips species and populations perform on these resistant plants. Finally, it investigated the chemical compounds associated with thrips resistance, providing potential leads for further research.