Glow away: Optimizing plant microbiomes for sustainable pest control

Moonshot Award

Proposal Development

Abstract

Advances in sustainable agriculture are critical to ensure future food security in the face of a changing climate and environment. Manipulating crop microbiomes is an area of active research with great promise for regenerative agriculture. Bacteria can facilitate profound improvements in plant yields and health by providing protection against insect pests and pathogens. Aphids are highly damaging plant pest insects, costing the United States billions of dollars annually in agricultural losses. Current management of aphids relies on chemical insecticides, which pose risks to human health, water quality, and beneficial insects. Farmers urgently need sustainable alternatives to control aphid populations. 

The Hendry lab has patented methods by which pseudomonads, common bacteria on plants, could be applied as harmless members of the plant microbiome to control aphid pests and the diseases they vector. We have begun testing the effects of a specific Pseudomonas-derived molecule, phenazine, on aphid behavior. 

In collaboration with the Feaga lab, we have also developed methodology to genetically manipulate environmentally isolated Pseudomonas strains for future genetic engineering, allowing us to optimize their aphid repelling ability on plants. This data will be used in grant proposals to develop innovative applications for controlling damaging agricultural pests.