7 April 2005
Underground resistance
Maize roots under attack by larvae of the western corn rootworm beetle, Diabrotica, have been found to emit a below-ground signal which attracts a nematode that is a natural enemy of the beetle. Or rather, some maize does. This rootworm is the worst maize pest in North America and was recently introduced to Europe, where it is spreading rapidly. Most of the maize lines used by farmers in North America, it turns out, no longer emit the sesquiterpene compound, resulting in a low rate of nematode infection. This implies that a change to maize varieties that still produce this attractant should help to recruit nematodes as natural biological control agents.
Recruitment of entomopathogenic nematodes by insect-damaged maize roots
SERGIO RASMANN et al.
Nature 434, 732–737 (2005); doi:10.1038/nature03451
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