ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the germplasm resources available to improve wheat for arthropod resistance, the resistance genes that have been identified and used, the value of resistance genes, and the future directions for research to improve wheat with arthropod resistance. The origin of Triticum spp. wheat traces back to antiquity in several different languages. The development of modern bread wheat occurred as a result of at least two major evolutionary events. More land is devoted worldwide to the production of wheat than any other commercial crop. Knowledge of the genetics of arthropod resistance in wheat is facilitated by exploiting the aneuploid condition in Triticum species. Populations of beneficial insects and microorganisms increase in the agroecosystem when pesticide use is reduced, as doe’s species diversity. In at least one instance, the value of arthropod resistance in wheat has humanitarian value. Molecular marker techniques are being used more frequently in the development of pest-resistant wheat.
