Research Projects

Insects and plants have a complex relationship, with insects having specialized digestive systems and effectors that manipulate plant defense mechanisms. However, most knowledge about insect effectors comes from sucking insects, and chewing insects are still in its infancy. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a polyphagous chewing pest of major agricultural crops. Despite efforts to identify and understand its effectors and molecular mode of action, no efforts have been made to do so. This study proposes identifying and characterizing effector proteins from oral secretions of S. frugiperda in response to its infestation on tomato and chickpea plants, deciphering their mechanism of action, and analyzing their potential as immune priming agents.