Production and quantification of methyl ketones in wild tomato accessions.

Production of methyl ketones as naturally occurring insecticides from wild tomato accessions is explored in this study. Density of two glandular trichomes (type IV and type VI) on the leaves of six wild tomato accessions of Lycopersicon hirsutum f. glabratum (Mull); three accessions of L. hirsutum f. typicum (Humb & Bonpl.); two accessions of L. pennellii Corr. (D'Arcy); and density of type VI glandular trichomes of the commercial tomato Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Fabulous are reported. Densities of type IV and VI glandular trichomes varied among the accessions tested. Type IV trichomes occurred at much higher densities than type VI. Over all accessions and counting trichome densities on both abaxial and adaxial leaflet surfaces, type IV densities averaged 96,378 trichomes.g(-1) leaflets while type VI densities averaged 67,350 trichomes.g(-1) leaflets. Concentrations of four methyl ketones (2-tridecanone, 2-dodecanone, 2-undecanone, 2-pentadecanone) were determined per unit leaf surface area (mm2) and per g fresh leaflets. Concentrations of total methyl ketones ranged from 81.3 microg.g(-1) fresh leaflets on L. esculentum cv. Fabulous to 5.5 mg.g(-1) on L. hirsutum f. glabratum (PI 134417). Two methyl ketones, 2-undecanone and 2-tridecanone, predominated trichome secretions in five of the L. hirsutum f. glabratum accessions tested (PI 251304, PI 126449, PI 134417, PI 134418, and LA 407).