Project properties

Title Resistance to Colorado Potato Beetle in wild potatoes
Group Plant Breeding, Laboratory of
Project type thesis
Credits 24-36 ECTS
Supervisor(s) Lotte Caarls,
Examiner(s) Lotte Caarls, Micha Devi
Contact info Lotte.caarls@wur.nl,
Begin date 2021/09/01
End date 2023/08/31
Description Cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum) is attacked by the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB). Especially in organic cultivation, where no pesticides can be used, larval feeding causes a lot of damage to plants. Resistance against CPB is found in several wild potato species, and can consist of toxic metabolites, glandular trichomes, or other plant responses that can kill larvae or eggs, or deter feeding. In this project, you will characterize the resistance found in a wild potato, study its segregation in populations, and study behavior of the beetle on resistant accessions.
Used skills Perform insect (survival) bioassays, phenotyping potato plants, behavior assays, molecular biology. Analyse the data and write a thesis.
Requirements One of: Breeding for resistance and quality (PBR-30306), Fundamental and Applied Biology of Insects (ENT-30806) or ENT-51306 (Insect-plant Interactions)