Tomatine and Parasitic Wasps: Potential Incompatibility of Plant Antibiosis with Biological Control

Abstract

alpha-Tomatine, an alkaloid in tomato plants, is toxic to an endoparasite of a major lepidopterous pest of tomatoes. The parasite acquires the alkaloid from its host after the host ingests the alkaloid. This form of interaction creates a potential dilemma to controlling herbivorous pests through chemical antibiosis in plants.