Study of the importance of the signaling pathway of abscisic acid in the response of Arabidopsis thaliana against infestation by Tetranychus urticae

Identifier:  TFG:2173

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG2173

Authors:  Sanahuja Irene, Raquel

Abstract:
The phytophagous mite Tetranychus urticae can feed on more than 150 crop species. This constitutes a great threat to the production of the Mediterranean arch areas where the best conditions for growth occur. Recent studies affirm that water stress, which is accentuated by climate change, decreases the resistance of plants to pests such as this mite. This makes it necessary to improve the resistance of crop plants to T. urticae, a response that is controlled by the interaction of various plant hormones. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants of the signaling pathways of abscisic acid, very important phytohormone in resistance to abiotic stresses, and jasmonic acid, key in resistance to biotic stresses, are used to determine the role of abscisic acid and the elements of its signaling path in the A. thaliana-T. urticae interaction. Combined mutants of A. thaliana from the signaling pathways of abscisic acid and jasmonic acid have also been created and identified in order to identify possible interaction points between the two signaling pathways in the A. thaliana-T. urticae interaction in future research. The results obtained show that abscisic acid does play a role in the response to infestation by T. urticae. However, further studies are needed to expand knowledge about the interaction points between the two signaling pathways and the importance of the elements of the abscisic acid signaling pathway.