Plants Give Pests Sock in the Gut

Photo of Damaged Caterpillar Gut

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This scanning electron micrograph shows the food bolus of a fall armyworm caterpillar surrounded by the peritrophic matrix (PM). This caterpillar was fed on resistant plant material containing Mir1-cysteine protease. The cracks in the PM are typical for caterpillars that are exposed to the cystein protease. Caterpillars that feed on susceptible plant material have smooth, intact PMs. Credit: Tibor Pechan, Mississippi State University	Armyworm Credit: Marco Nicovich, Mississippi State University