Host Plant Resistance as a Cornerstone Strategy for Sustainable Pest Management in Solanaceous Crops

Abstract

Solanaceous vegetable crops such as tomato, brinjal, potato, and chilli are highly susceptible to insect pests, resulting in yield losses exceeding 30-40% under field conditions. Host plant resistance (HPR) has emerged as a sustainable and eco-friendly approach for pest management. This review examines the significance and mechanisms of HPR in mitigating insect herbivory including constitutive and induced defenses involving morphological, biochemical, and molecular traits. Induced responses are regulated by phytohormonal signaling pathways such as jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and ethylene, which interact through complex networks. Key defense mechanisms include antixenosis, antibiosis, tolerance, and indirect defenses mediated by herbivore-induced plant volatiles. Structural traits like glandular trichomes and biochemical compounds such as phenols, glycoalkaloids, and defensive enzymes contribute to enhanced resistance. The role of wild relatives as sources of resistance genes and their utilization through breeding and biotechnological approaches is also discussed. Emerging strategies, including defense elicitors, synthetic HIPVs, and transgenic technologies, further strengthen HPR-based pest management. HPR is a vital component of integrated pest management, offering durable, cost-effective, and environmentally safe solutions for sustainable solanaceous crop production.