Various herbivorous insects are major pests in agriculture, often severely limiting crop production, and the pests are mainly controlled through the use of insecticides. Due to environmental concerns and the negative effects of insecticides on beneficial insects, alternative means of insect control are needed. Host plant resistance is one of the most effective forms of insect control and provides a very good alternative to the use of insecticides. The development of insect-resistant crops can be greatly facilitated by understanding the mechanisms of plant resistance and associated genes. Plants have evolved a variety of ways to respond to insect attacks, leading to natural variation in resistance to herbivorous insects. Studying the molecular genetics and transcriptional background of this variation can help identify resistance genes and the processes that lead to insect resistance. Linkage mapping is rapidly becoming an important method for exploring the genetic structure of complex traits in plants and provides a unique opportunity to study plant resistance to herbivorous insects.

Fig. 1. Direct and indirect plant defence mechanisms. (Broekgaarden et al., 2011)

Our insect resistance traits analysis service

CD Genomics is committed to agrigenomics research and provides comprehensive analysis services for insect resistance traits in plants to help researchers and breeders identify, characterize, and classify effective sources of insect resistance, and accelerate the development of insect-resistant varieties.

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) localization analysis

Our laboratories are equipped with modern genomic methods and instrumentation, powerful statistical methods, and a wide range of molecular markers. We offer QTL analysis to achieve host plant insect resistance, which can accurately identify resistance genes and the phenotypic traits they confer, which can be chemicals or morphological structures produced by the crop to protect itself from pests. Because pests cause damage in many different ways, our QTL analyses are widely used in non-targeted approaches and for combinatorial insect resistance genomic studies. In addition, our breeders combine QTL localization analysis with transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to assess insect resistance at the level of genotypes, gene expression, metabolites, and protein networks, and are committed to helping our customers achieve multiplexed insect resistance breeding.

We usually choose single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as molecular markers in QTL localization analysis for host plant resistance. This approach allows a combination of candidate gene approaches and fusion-based fine-tuned localization to identify genes of interest, and plant breeding for host plant resistance in germplasm will be faster and more cost-effective, leading to improved understanding of genetics and thus changing strategies for developing insect-resistant varieties. In addition, we offer sequencing genotyping (GBS) to identify SNPs and construct high-resolution linkage maps to detect QTL for multiple pest resistances and combine phenotypic assessments with GBS data to dissect plant insect resistance traits.

Association mapping

Association mapping allows screening of genes involved in complex plant traits in many different wild and cultivated populations. We use genome-wide association mapping for ecogenomic studies of plant-insect interactions to retrieve functional genetic loci associated with plant defense against herbivorous insects in a non-targeted manner. This approach provides higher localization resolution, shorter study time, and larger number of alleles compared to QTL localization. Our laboratory has a variety of high-throughput phenotyping techniques such as mass spectrometry, NMR, and image processing. These accurate and field-based high-throughput phenotyping techniques enable genome-wide association mapping to deepen the understanding of the genetic architecture of plant resistance to generalist and specialized insects, contributing to the development of host plant resistance in crops.

Our services can be applied to the following research areas

• Marker-assisted selection (MAS). Analysis of insect resistance traits helps in the development of molecular markers associated with resistance genes. These markers can be used in marker-assisted selection (MAS) programs to accelerate breeding of resistant crop varieties.
• Engineering resistant crops. Insect resistance trait analysis provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of plant-insect interactions. This knowledge can be used to modify crops to enhance resistance to specific pests.
• Integrated pest management. By understanding the genetic factors that contribute to plant resistance, farmers can implement targeted pest management practices and reduce their reliance on chemical insecticides.

Service workflow

Fig. 2. CD Genomics' insect resistance traits analysis service process.

Our advantages and features

• State-of-the-art technology. We use the latest genomic technologies, including sequencing genotyping platforms, advanced RNA sequencing, and plant high-throughput phenotyping to deliver accurate, comprehensive results.
• Expertise and experience. Our team of scientists and bioinformaticians has extensive experience in genomics and molecular biology. We have a proven track record of successfully conducting studies analyzing insect resistance traits and have collaborated with numerous academic and industry partners.
• Customized Solutions. Whether it's a large-scale GWAS study or a targeted metabolomics analysis, we work closely with our clients to design customized solutions that meet their research goals.
• Timely delivery. Our streamlined processes, optimized workflows, and dedicated project management ensure that projects are completed within agreed upon timelines. We strive to provide our clients with actionable insights and data to drive further research and breeding efforts.

CD Genomics provides reliable QTL analysis and association mapping of plant insect resistance. By leveraging our expertise and advanced technologies, researchers and breeders can unravel the genetic basis of insect resistance traits and accelerate crop improvement programs. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Broekgaarden, Colette, et al. Exploiting natural variation to identify insect‐resistance genes. Plant biotechnology journal. 9.8 (2011): 819-825.