Small brown planthopper infestation enhances it reproduction and insecticide tolerance by manipulating glucose distribution and levels in rice.

SBPH infestation in rice elevates whole-plant glucose levels by promoting aerial accumulation and depleting root reserves, linking host carbohydrate reallocation to SBPH fitness traits.

• Why it matters: It remains unclear how herbivorous insects use host nutritional signals to modulate fitness traits, including reproduction and insecticide tolerance, during plant–insect arms races.
• What they did: Using molecular, pharmacological, and biochemical approaches, the study shows host-derived glucose enhances SBPH fecundity via the TOR pathway and JH signaling, and boosts imidacloprid tolerance by increasing GST activity through GCL-driven glutathione synthesis and glucose–TOR–JH induction of LsGSTe1 and LsGSTo1.
• The result: Host-derived glucose is identified as a central signaling molecule that enables simultaneous optimization of SBPH reproduction and imidacloprid resistance, highlighting the glucose–TOR–JH axis as a target for nutrient-based pest control strategies.