EVIDENCE THAT PLANT-VARIETIES RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO NO2 POLLUTION ASINDICATED BY RESISTANCE TO INSECT HERBIVORES

The effects of NO2 pollution on the performance of aphids feeding on d ifferent bean varieties were investigated by fumigation experiments. T he susceptibility of the different genotypes dramatically changed as t he concentration of atmospheric pollutant was increased. The direction of change was not constant between varieties. Our data suggest that r esistance or susceptibility of a plant variety to insect herbivory can be significantly altered when subjected to pollutant stress, thus ind icating that it may be difficult to predict the susceptibility of host plants in a polluted atmosphere.