SPECIFIC INHIBITORY ACTIVITY AND INHERITANCE OF AN ALPHA-AMYLASE INHIBITOR IN A WILD COMMON BEAN ACCESSION RESISTANT TO THE MEXICAN BEAN WEEVIL

High levels of resistance to the Mexican bean weevil, Zabrotes subfasciatus BOH., have been detected in wild common beans. One of the resistant accessions, G12953, contained two specific seed proteins, arcelin-4 and a novel alpha-amylase inhibitor (alphaAI-2). AlphaAI-2 specifically inhibited the larval alpha-amylase activity from Z. subfasciatus and the gene controlling the presence of alphaAI-2 was closely linked to that controlling the presence of arcelin-4. AlphaAI-2 seemed to play an important role in the resistance.