U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Crop Bioprotection Research: Peoria, IL
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    NCAUR HomepageSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Midwest Area Peoria, Illinois National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research Crop Bioprotection Research Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Johnson, Ericitem
                                            Dowd, Patrick
  Submitted to: American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting
                                    Publication Type: Abstract Only
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 7/24/2004
                                    Publication  Date: 7/28/2004
                                    Citation: Johnson, E.T., Dowd, P.F. 2004. Methylation of an anthocyanin increases its ability to inhibit growth of corn earworm larvae [abstract]. American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting.  Abstract No. 493.Interpretive Summary:
                                Technical Abstract: The anthocyanins are synthesized by flowers primarily to attract pollinators and seed dispersers.  A few studies have determined that some anthocyanin compounds, such as cyanidin 3-ß-glucoside, can reduce insect feeding.  Our objective was to determine if this activity could be extended to an insect pest of corn.  Purified cyanidin chloride did not inhibit the growth of corn earworm (CEW) larvae at 1000 ppm in insect diet, but purified peonidin chloride significantly reduced the growth of the larvae at the same concentration.  Peonidin has the same structure as cyanidin except that its 3'-hydroxyl group is methylated.  In order to confirm these findings, we also tested plant materials that contain cyanidin and peonidin type anthocyanins.  We excised colored and white sectors from striped petunia flowers and fed them separately to CEW larvae.  After 2 days of feeding, the CEW larvae fed significantly less on the colored sectors compared to the white sectors.  The reduction in feeding rates was greater in colored sectors containing peonidin type anthocyanins compared to those containing cyanidin type anthocyanins.  Together these results indicate that expression of relevant anthocyanin molecules at suitable levels in corn may be an effective means to reduce CEW predation of plant tissues.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov