Mechanical abrasion of cotyledons induced resistance to spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) in cotton plants in four of six replicates. Mite population growth was reduced on plants that had either been abraded or had been previously exposed to mite feeding, compared to undamaged controls. Populations of mites were not different for plants that were abraded and for those that had been exposed previously to mites. In two of the six replicates, mite populations were not different for abraded, previously exposed, and control plants. In these two replicates, densities of mites were greater than in the four replicates in which abrasion and previous exposure were effective, although the reasons for this discrepancy are not known. Induction of resistance by mechanical abrasion indicates that the response is not caused only by some factor specific to mites, but can be caused by general wounding or herbivory.
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