Restoring a natural root signal helps to fight a major corn pest
A longstanding and fruitful collaboration between researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, together with contributions from colleagues in Munich and the US, has produced another first: the successful manipulation of a crop plant to emit a signal that attracts beneficial organisms. Genetic transformation of maize plants resulted in the release of the naturally active substance (E)-beta-caryophyllene from their roots. The substance attracts nematodes that attack and kill larvae of the Western corn rootworm, a voracious root pest. In field tests, the enhanced nematode attraction resulted in reduced root damage and considerably fewer surviving rootworms. Further fine-tuning of this natural defence strategy will allow for an environmentally friendly growing of maize with minimised use of synthetic insecticides. The project was carried out within the framework of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR Plant Survival)...