RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS IN PLANT-RESISTANCE TO INSECT PESTS OF COOL-SEASON FOOD LEGUMES

Plant resistance to at least 17 field and storage insect pests of cool season food legumes has been identified. For the most part, this resi stance was located in the primary gene pools of grain legumes via conv entional laboratory, greenhouse, and field screening methods. The use of analytical techniques (i.e., capillary gas chromatography) to chara cterize plant chemicals that mediate the host selection behavior of pe st insects offers promise as a new, more rapid way to differentiate be tween insect-resistant and susceptible plant material. Examples of res earch achievements in mechanisms of resistance and host-plant resistan ce within the context of integrated control programs are discussed. Ac celerating the development and subsequent releases of insect-resistant cultivars to pulse farmers requires more involvement from interdiscip linary teams of plant breeders, entomologists, plant pathologists, pla nt chemists, molecular biologists, and other scientists.