Patent ID: 7939707

Claim:
A method of evaluating efficacy of a protection mechanism of a protected plant, comprising the steps of: (a) exposing an insect population comprising immature insects and belonging to an insect species having a plurality of instars to the protected plant such that the protected plant is at least contacted thereby, the exposure extending for a selected time period corresponding to a sublethal exposure of the insect population to the protected plant, said time period being set so that more than 60% of the insects do not die during the time period and so that the time period expires before 90% of the insect population leaves the larval or nymphal development stage; (b) halting the exposure of the insect population to the protected plant following the selected time period and collecting at least some of the insects; (c) measuring a physical characteristic of at least some of the collected immature insects; (d) sorting the collected immature insects into instars based on the measured physical characteristic; and (e) statistically analyzing the measured physical characteristics across the instars so as to determine efficacy of the protection mechanism of the protected plant wherein said statistical analysis comprises systematically comparing a distribution of said collected insects across instars with a corresponding distribution of collected insects of a control entity.