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Caterpillar silences tomato’s cry for help, scientists find
Insect’s saliva impairs plant’s ability to emit signal By Tom Avril, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Published: March 2, 2021, 6:05am
Share: Penn State scientists have found saliva from a certain type of caterpillar can silence a cry for help (chemical distress signal) emitted by the tomato plant when the caterpillar is nibbling its leaves. (Dreamstime)
While there’s a famous horror-movie spoof about killer tomatoes, no one seems to have made one about caterpillars the insect pests that eat the juicy red fruits of summer.
Perhaps the time is ripe, with inspiration from a new study at Pennsylvania State University.
Perhaps the time is ripe, with inspiration from a new study at Pennsylvania State University.
Scientists found that a caterpillar called the tomato fruit worm not only chomps on tomatoes and their leaves, but also deposits enzyme-laden saliva on the plant, interfering with its ability to cry for help.
If it all sounds a bit improbable, starting with the concept of plants crying for help, scientists also scoffed at that idea when it was first proposed a few decades ago. But it has been shown time and time again that when under attack, plants can emit chemical distress signals, causing their peers to mount some sort of defense. A classic example is the smell of a freshly mown lawn, which prompts the release of protective compounds in nearby blades of grass that have yet to be cut.
Like a horror movie : Caterpillar silences tomato s cry for help, scientists find | Nation/World gazettextra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettextra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.