Researchers have been successful in cultivating tomatoes that are more resistant to vermin. They did this by crossing regular tomatoes with wild ones which produce an antibody that is poisonous to vermin. The researchers identified the synthesis pathway from this matter that helps the plants ward off enemies and introduced this gene to cultivated tomato plants.
Whiteflies, spider mites and aphids are the most common pests for tomato plants. They not only eat the leaves and fruits on the plant, but also carry plant viruses. These pests can cause large economic damage.
In order to make cultivated tomatoes more resistant against vermin, in this case the variety called 'Moneymaker', researchers administered the variety with a natural defence mechanism which came from the wild tomato variety called 'Solanum habrochaites'. Next, the researchers tested if the modified plants were more resistant to pests by infesting the plants with silver leaf white-flies. After five days, it was possible to conclude that up to 70 percent of the pests were dead.