Abstract

Resistance of plants to pest attack is defined as the relative amount of heritable qualities possessed by the plant that influence the ultimate amount of damage caused by the pest. The use of plant resistance to manage arthropod pest populations provides an ideal approach to integrated pest management because it is biologically and economically sound, environmentally friendly, and generally compatible with other management tactics or strategies. The cultivar forms the foundation on which all pest management programs and tactics are applied, and its effects are specific, cumulative, and persistent.