To
increase biological control by exploiting heritable plant traits
that favor predators and parasitoids
Objective 1:
To develop procedures
for identifying and quantifying heritable crop plant traits that
affect insect natural enemies.
Final products:
Model protocols for plant breeders and cooperating scientists
to adopt in Egypt.
Objective 2:
To measure effects
of plants with natural enemy-enhancing traits on the natural enemies
in the presence and absence of target pests.
Final products:
Procedures for determining the importance of understanding multi-trophic
level interactions in plant breeding efforts that enhance natural
enemies.
Objective 3:
To develop biotechnology
tools for natural enemy evaluations.
Final products:
New methods for measuring variation in natural enemies and exploiting
biological control-friendly characteristics in crops.
Objective 4:
To develop methodology
for rapid quantification of plant allelochemicals that affect
natural enemies.
Final products:
To increase understanding plant-pest-natural enemy interactions
and aid plant breeders in assessment of traits that may have
value in pest resistance.
Accomplishments for each
of the four objectives are described in the Accomplishments.
