ELUCIDATING THE ROLE OF WITHANOLIDES IN PHYSALIS INSECT INTERACTIONS

In my proposed research, two questions will be addressed: 1) What phenotypic effect does knocking out expression of three key branching genes in the withanolide biosynthetic pathway have in relation to plant-insect interactions? 2) Can specific withanolide compounds with large effects be identified through correlation of RNAseq, metabolite profile, and insect bioassay data?Overall, the mechanism through which withanolides affect herbivorous insect behavior and specific withanolide compounds that have large effects on the observed phenotypes in Physalis griseawill be identified. These results can be used to determine breeding targets to increase insect resistance in Physalisperuviana, thereby increasing its agroeconomic potential in the United States (US).