Bacteria that make the lives of corn and rice plants miserable have been shown to regulate them well for themselves. But with this knowledge, it can also be thwarted.
Beetles leave bacteria behind in plant wounds that form when beetles gnaw on the plant. From there the infection spreads and the plant eventually dies. But the agony of this particular infection is quite brutal, according to lab research.
Bacteria do not immediately start killing plant cells. It first lives as a parasite for a while, so that it can reproduce. They already knew it, but now it looks like he’s been completely pampered during that time. It allows the plant to control its abundance of nutrients and water, much more than a healthy plant contains, and it all goes to the bacteria.
At this feast, the same protein that suppresses the immune system of the plant is used. With that, the researchers also immediately found a way to thwart the bacteria. Who knows, plants that can withstand this process can now be grown.
Read more: Study finds infectious bacteria force host plants to feed on them†
