Breeding for pest resistance in tobacco has received great emphasis because of potential detrimental effects of pesticide residue on human health. Failure in finding resistance to plant pests among N. tabacum varieties has led to extensive screening of the wild species in the genus Nicotiana, among which N. gossei was found to be toxic to aphids and caterpillars. Using this species as a donor source, a breeding program is in progress to incorporate resistance factors into commercial flue-cured tobacco varieties. Initially an autotetraploid, N. tabacum variety Delcrest was used as a recipient parent. The F₁, S₁, BC₁, S₂ and BC₂ progenies were screened for resistance. Results showed that it may be possible to obtain plants resistant to aphids (Myzus persrcae), tobacco caterplllars (Spodoptera Iitura) or both species.

(Full article published with kind permission from "Tobacco International")