When attacked by pests and diseases, plants prioritize protecting flowers and not leaves

According to the New Phytologis magazine, a new study by international scientists shows that plants when attacked by pests often give priority to protecting flowers and not leaves. When the same time aphids, caterpillars and bacteria attack, the plants focus on moths first.

According to New Phytologis magazine, plants protect against pests primarily through "chemical weapons". Plants enhance the release of substances that make them no longer suitable for pests that use them as food. Previously, a study was conducted in 2015, scientists have determined that the characteristic pungent taste of plants such as horseradish, radish and mustard, appears due to confrontation. long between cruciferous plants and white moths.

Plants focus on protecting flowers as reproductive organs.

During that time the plants secrete new variants of glucosinolate - a compound that is toxic to insects but the caterpillars gradually gain resistance to them.

In this new study, entomologists and biochemists from the University of François Rabelais de Tours (France), Institute of Ecology Chemistry of Max Planck Association (Germany) and Wageningen University (Netherlands) decided Consider the case, when plants immediately hit many pests.

In the experiments, they used Brassica nigra black mustard, then attacked the aphids, caterpillars and pathogenic bacteria. At the same time, the scientists determined the level of phytohormone jasmonate (phytohormone is a hormone of the plant, which plays a central role in regulating cell growth to each part of the plant) in different parts. of the tree. Among the many functions of jasmonate, there are functions to protect against herbivorous insects. They activate some genes that secrete toxic substances to insects.

It turns out, jasmonate levels are higher than in flowers, not leaves, so scientists conclude that plants focus on protecting the reproductive organs' priorities. At the same time when caterpillars and aphids attack, plants prioritize protection against caterpillars.