Scientists trying to get a grip on the arms race between plant-eating insects and the defenses put up by their hosts just got a boost from new research by a University of Arizona entomologist published in the early view edition of Molecular Ecol…
In the presence of the plant hormone ABA, young Arabidopsis plants will hold off on growth until outside conditions become favorable (top). Mutant plants overproducing the newly identified AFP protein, on the other hand, lack this developmental arrest and blossom without delay (bottom). These and other experiments indicate that AFP helps to restore growth in normal plants by terminating the developmental arrest.