Relationship between Acylsugars and Leaf Trichomes: Mediators of Pest Resistance in Tomato

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Several pests have the potential to cause major damage to tomatoes. The two-spotted spider mite and whitefly are examples of pests that attack tomato crops. Management of these pests involves several techniques; the use of chemical products is the most adopted strategy. However, growing resistant genotypes is a promising strategy in pest management, reducing the use of chemical products. In this work, we sought to identify genotypes more resistant to the mite and whitefly using advanced populations of tomato (F(2)BC(3)) obtained from the cross between S. lycopersicum “Redenção” and S. pennellii, accession LA-716. Results indicated a greater resistance in the genotypes with high levels of acylsugars, a chemical compound commonly found in S. pennellii tomatoes. Consequently, genotypes with increased levels of acylsugar can be used in breeding programs for pest resistance. ABSTRACT: Tomato plants are highly susceptible to pests. Among the control methods, genetic improvement with introgression of resistance genes from wild accessions into commercial tomato lines is the best alternative for an integrated pest management (IPM). Thus, the objective of this study was to select tomato genotypes in advanced populations (F(2)BC(3)), with higher levels of acylsugar content, greater recurrent parent genome recovery, and resistance to Tetranychus urticae and Bemisia tabaci inherited from Solanum pennellii. For pest resistance, bioassays were assessed: nine high-acylsugar genotypes, four low-acylsugar genotypes, and the parents, Solanum lycopersicum or ‘Redenção’, and Solanum pennellii LA-716. Glandular and non-glandular trichomes were quantified. A negative correlation was measured between acylsugar content in the leaflets and pest behavior. Pest resistance was found in the selected F(2)BC(3) genotypes with high-acylsugar content, indicating that this allelochemical was efficient in controlling the arthropod pests.