UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A common soil fungus might be enlisted as a powerful partner by corn producers to suppress pests and promote plant growth, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest promoting the fungus could be an especially valuable strategy for organic growers who struggle with insect control.
These conclusions were reached after a study of fungus-insect-plant interactions in greenhouse- and lab-based settings. Researchers inoculated seeds of corn with spores of Metarhizium robertsii fungus and subsequently evaluated corn plants for fungal colonization of leaves and roots. They also measured plant height, chlorophyll content, above-ground biomass and relative growth rate of black cutworm.