PYRAMIDING TYPE-IV TRICHOME DEVELOPMENT AND DENSITY WITH ACYLSUGAR MOIETY AND EXUDATION FOR NATURAL, DURABLE, BROAD PEST RESISTANCE IN TOMATO

The long-term goal of this research is the development of a breeding toolkit to create effective insect-resistant tomato varieties and, through their highly conserved synteny, also enable other Solanaceae crops (potato, eggplant, peppers, tobacco). We will tackle this challenge by using natural genetic variation in wild tomato accessions to increase type-IV trichome densities and high exudation levels of acylsugars on mature leaves of the cultivated tomato.The main objectives of this research are:1. To stack four loci associated with type-IV trichome traits (presence and density on mature leaves as well as amount and moieties of exudate compounds) and evaluate the pyramiding effect on broad pest resistance in the cultivated tomato;2. To identify the genetic elements (loci or genes) of three novel loci involved with type-IV trichome features; and3. To establish an ontogenetic relationship between the multicellular trichomes type IV (glandular) and V (non-glandular) in tomato.