Do insects make chili hotter?

[semi_lucid]

I found a story that suggests insects play a role in hotness.

Some varieties of chilli are naturally hundreds of times hotter than others, but Mark says they all have a "maximum genetic potential" that can be achieved through clever growing techniques.

Working with NSW business The Chilli Factory, Mark used liquid runoff from a worm farm to fertilise a particularly spicy chilli known as the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. Months later, the Butch T claimed the Guinness World Record for the hottest chilli.

Like all fertilisers, 'worm juice' is rich in nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen, but what makes it particularly effective for bringing out the heat are the bodies of insects that have decomposed in the worm farm.

"The insects in there are living and dying pretty rapidly, and bits of their shell will break down," says Mark. "When you apply the juice to the plants' roots, they think they're getting eaten by insects." In response, the chillies produce more of their defensive compounds like capsaicin. "It's like getting an injection to boost your immune system," he says.

http://www.australiangeographic.com....d-the-heat.htm

John

[RayR]

Interesting, but I'm not so sure about the insect shells make chilli's hotter theory.
Capsaicin is a insect repellent, but can a pepper plant be induced to produce more Capsaicin by simply exposing it to rotting insect shells?
Insect exoskeletons are made up of mostly Chitin and it is true it seems that plant defense mechanisms are turned up in the presence of Chitin, but it's a defense against fungal pathogens, since fungi cell walls are made with Chitin, and the enzymes exuded by plant cells to dissolve Chitin is not Capsaicin.

[fortyonenorth]

Really interesting article. I thought the claim - about the insects - was dubious, but it's apparently based on scientific research. I wish they'd elaborated more about this in the article.

[semi_lucid]

Originally Posted by RayR

plant defense mechanisms are turned up in the presence of Chitin, but it's a defense against fungal pathogens.

Thats also Interesting. Could the 'worm juice' give some protection against Fusarium and verticillium?

[RayR]

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

Really interesting article. I thought the claim - about the insects - was dubious, but it's apparently based on scientific research. I wish they'd elaborated more about this in the article.

Ya, I too would like to see the support for that claim.

I amended my containers for my peppers with Coast of Maine Lobster Compost in the spring, which contains Chitin from the composted lobster shells and my hot peppers were not hotter than the same varieties that grew in the ground without the addition of Lobster Compost.

[fortyonenorth]

As I think about this more...what makes the worm farm any different than my compost pile insofar as attracting insects?

[RayR]

Originally Posted by semi_lucid

Thats also Interesting. Could the 'worm juice' give some protection against Fusarium and verticillium?

Here's something interesting I didn't know before....Earthworms excrete Chitinase enzymes themselves, which break down Chitin in the soil including the cell walls of bad fungi like Fusarium. Hmmm....