Exploration of the role of flavonoids on pest resistance in Cannabis sativa
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Susannah Huston
Presenter(s): Susannah Huston
Mentors(s): Jacob MacWilliams
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is a growing industry in the United States with a wide variety of uses from fiber to its numerous secondary metabolites produced including cannabidiol (CBD). While lesser known than cannabinoids, one group of secondary metabolites that are highly produced in hemp that are underutilized is flavonoids. Flavonoids have diverse structures and functions, including detrimental impacts on insect pests. Here we investigated the role of flavonoids in plant defense against one of the most damaging pests of hemp, the cannabis aphid (Phorodon cannabis). Aphid population screening on hemp cultivars that varied in flavonoid concentrations identified significantly more aphids when flavonoids were not present. One flavonoid in particular was identified, orientin, through these screens and supplemented in artificial feeding assays. The supplementation of orientin did not lead to significant decreases in fecundity at either 1 mM or 5 mM concentrations, suggesting other flavonoids may be responsible for the majority of the effect observed on hemp. The negative impacts of flavonoids that we observed indicate flavonoids have a role in plant defense to cannabis aphids. Future research focusing on the defense potential of flavonoids to hemp pests should be investigated for crop improvement and breeding.