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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Plant Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #426784
Research Project: Adaptation of Grain Crops to Varying Environments Including Climates, Stressors, and Human Uses

Location: Plant Genetics Research

Title: The bacterial, methylorubrum extorquens product TS201TM induces multiple modes of action to reduce insect feeding damage on maize

Author
item HUYNH, MAN - University Of Missouri
item Hibbard, Bruce
item HO, KHANH-VAN - University Of Missouri
item Ernwall, Amanda
item Ludwick, Dalton
item LEI, ZHENTIAN - University Of Missouri
item FINKE, DEBORAH - University Of Missouri
item PHILLIPS, ANNE - Newleaf Symbiotics
item JACK, ALLISON - Newleaf Symbiotics
item BREAKFIELD, NATALIE - Newleaf Symbiotics

Submitted to: bioRxiv
Publication Type: Pre-print Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/23/2025
Publication Date: 5/23/2025
Citation: Huynh, M.P., Hibbard, B.E., Ho, K., Ernwall, A.M., Ludwick, D.C., Lei, Z., Finke, D.L., Phillips, A.Z., Jack, A., Breakfield, N.W. 2025. The bacterial, methylorubrum extorquens product TS201TM induces multiple modes of action to reduce insect feeding damage on maize. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.22.655610.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.22.655610

Interpretive Summary: Western corn rootworm is the leading pest of corn in the United States. Its economic impact exceeds one billion dollars per year. Western corn rooworm larvae were exposed to corn treated with a bacterium. This bacteria appeared to repel larvae in field experiments and reduce damage while increasing the corn's yield. To confirm these results and understand how it repelled western corn rootworm larvae, multiple laboratory experiments were conducted. Results indicated that larvae were indeed repelled from treated corn and the chemical responsible was a known repellent, methyl anthranilate. Growers can now use this product to better manage western corn rootworm and improve corn yields where the pest complicates production.

Technical Abstract: Pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs) are known to promote plant growth and confer protection against pathogens, but their capacity to induce plant defenses against insect pests remains largely unexplored. Here, we report that TS201, a U.S. EPA-registered bioinsecticide derived from Methylorubrum extorquens, enhances maize defense against corn rootworms and improves yield through multiple plant-mediated mechanisms. In seven years of small-plot trials across 22 U.S. Midwest locations under moderate to high corn rootworm pressure, TS201 increased yield by 3.5 bushels per acre. In 2023 and 2024, large-plot trials across 81 sites in eight U.S. states further validated its agronomic benefit. Additional studies demonstrate improved rooting and reduced lodging in TS201 treated crops. Transcriptomic analysis of TS201-treated roots revealed upregulation of genes in the anthranilate biosynthetic pathway, and GC-MS analysis confirmed the production of methyl anthranilate, a volatile compound known to repel western corn rootworm. Insect choice assays demonstrated significant larval avoidance of TS201-treated roots, independent of herbivory, indicating an inherent priming effect. These findings reveal a novel mode of action for PPFM-induced plant defense and demonstrate TS201 as a strategic microbial tool for mitigating insect damage. Its complementarity with existing crop protection strategies supports its integration into broad-spectrum integrated pest management programs.