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EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH: PHYTOHORMONES AND HEAT-INDUCED LOSS OF WHEAT RESISTANCE TO HESSIAN FLY -HIGH TEMPERATURE (HEAT STRESS) CAN REDUCE PLANT RESISTANCE TO INSECTS, RESULTING IN DECREASED PRODUCTIVITY OF CROP PLANTS. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF PHYTOHORMONES ON THE EXPRESSION OF WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM) RESISTANCE TO HESSIAN FLY (MAYETIOLA DESTRUCTOR), ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE INSECT PESTS OF WHEAT PLANTS IN NORTH AMERICA. IN THIS RESEARCH, A COMBINATION OF PHENOTYPING, BIOCHEMICAL, AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY APPROACHES WILL BE DEPLOYED TO INVESTIGATE THE IMPACT OF PHYTOHORMONES ON THE SENSITIVITY OF PLANT INSECT RESISTANCE TO TEMPERATURE CHANGES. THE FINDINGS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISM OF HEAT-INDUCED LOSS OF HOST PLANT RESISTANCE AND CO-EVOLUTION BETWEEN HOST PLANTS AND INSECT PESTS UNDER CHANGING TEMPERATURES. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE A PLATFORM TO TRAIN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS AT FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY (FSU) IN RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION, AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES VIA PAID RESEARCH INTERNSHIP, BIOTECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP, AND INCORPORATION OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES INTO CLASSROOM TEACHING. SUCH EFFORTS WILL IMPROVE THE COMPETENCY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY MINORITY STUDENTS AND/OR MILITARY-ASSOCIATED STUDENTS AT FSU TO ENTER GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS AND STEM WORKFORCE, AND THEREFORE ENHANCE SOCIAL MOBILITY. FURTHERMORE, FINDINGS FROM THIS RESEARCH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE APPLIED TO CONTROL HESSIAN FLY DAMAGE IN WHEAT CROP UNDER STRESSED ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY, FOOD SECURITY, AND BENEFIT THE RURAL COMMUNITY IN THE US. HEAT STRESS CAN COMPROMISE PLANT RESISTANCE TO INSECTS. THIS PROPOSAL AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF PHYTOHORMONES IN RESISTANCE: (R)-GENE-MEDICATED HOST PLANT RESISTANCE TO INSECTS UNDER HEAT STRESS USING WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM)-HESSIAN FLY (MAYETIOLA DESTRUCTOR) INTERACTION AS A MODEL. THE OVERALL HYPOTHESIS OF THIS RESEARCH IS THAT PHYTOHORMONES JASMONIC ACID (JA), SALICYLIC ACID (SA), 12-OXO-PHYTODIENOIC ACID (OPDA), AND AUXIN AFFECT OPDA METABOLISM IN WHEAT PLANTS AND INFLUENCE WHEAT RESISTANCE TO HESSIAN FLY UNDER HEAT STRESS. TO TEST THIS HYPOTHESIS, ?MOLLY?, A HESSIAN FLY RESISTANT CULTIVAR CONTAINING THE R-GENE H13 AND ITS SUSCEPTIBLE NEAR-ISOGENIC LINE ?NEWTON? WILL BE INFESTED BY AN AVIRULENT BIOTYPE GP HESSIAN FLY AND SUBJECTED TO HEAT STRESS, AND A COMBINATION OF HEAT STRESS AND EXTERNAL APPLICATION OF PHYTOHORMONES, RESPECTIVELY. A COMBINATION OF PHENOTYPING, BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR ANALYSES, AND METABOLOMIC APPROACHES WILL BE DEPLOYED TO ACHIEVE FOUR OBJECTIVES:1) TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF PHYTOHORMONES ON WHEAT RESISTANCE PHENOTYPE TO HESSIAN FLY UNDER HEAT CONDITIONS; 2) TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT OF PHYTOHORMONES ON OPDA METABOLISM IN WHEAT PLANTS UNDER HEAT STRESS; 3) TO EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF PHYTOHORMONES ON TRANSCRIPT EXPRESSION OF WHEAT GENES POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTING TO WHEAT RESISTANCE/SUSCEPTIBILITY TO HESSIAN FLY UNDER HEAT STRESS; 4) TO DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF PHYTOHORMONES ON LIPID AND FATTY ACID METABOLISM AT HESSIAN FLY FEEDING SITES IN WHEAT PLANTS UNDER HEAT STRESS. THE FINDINGS WILL ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF HEAT-INDUCED LOSS OF PLANT RESISTANCE TO INSECTS AND CO-EVOLUTION BETWEEN HOST PLANTS AND PARASITES UNDER CHANGING TEMPERATURES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.
$99.9k 7/19/22