Sticky Defense: Thrips-Induced Trichome Rupture and Filament Formation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5y6NtOq3-A

Original video: https://youtu.be/W5y6NtOq3-A

Published on: 10 June 2025

Watch the biological "landmines" of the tomato plant in action as a Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) nymph triggers the ultra-fast rupture of Type VI glandular trichomes. These high-speed sequences reveal the biomechanics of filament formation, a critical process where defensive fluids transition into sticky traps to immobilize pests.

Keywords: plant biomechanics, plant–insect interactions, trichomes

Citation:

Jared Popowski, Lucas Warma, Alicia Abarca Cifuentes, Petra Bleeker, Maziyar Jalaal, Glandular trichome rupture in tomato plants is an ultra-fast and sensitive defense mechanism against insects, Journal of Experimental Botany, Volume 76, Issue 21, 25 November 2025, Pages 6508–6519, https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/eraf257

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