Mustard plants have double defence against insect pests
Thursday, August 14, 2014 - 08:31
in Biology & Nature
Mustard plants have a double line of defence against foraging insects. The plants can release odours to attract miniscule wasps, which parasitise insect pest eggs. However, mustard plants also react by allowing cells to die, so the deposited eggs of harmful insects drop from the plants. Until recently these were believed to be two conflicting defence mechanisms, but research performed by Wageningen entomologists has shown that the mechanisms actually reinforce each other.