Health
Saliva From Hungry Caterpillars Alerts Cowpea Plants to Turn on Their Defenses – ScienceAlert
Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) are not just food for humans. Caterpillars also love to munch on these crucial crops, and that can cause losses in Africa’s most widely…
Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) are not just food for humans. Caterpillars also love to munch on these crucial crops, and that can cause losses in Africa’s most widely planted native legume.
But not all cowpeas are completely defenceless. Some crops have evolved an ingenious way to fight back.
Researchers have now found an immune receptor on the surface of cowpea cells that can detect the saliva of chewing caterpillars, initiating a cascade of natural defences.
This might include a release of chemicals…
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