PLANT HERBIVORE INTERACTIONS

Apr 29 2026SCIENCE

Root Smells Draw Pest Beetles When Corn Is Chewed

In the soil below a corn plant, tiny chemicals called small lipophilic molecules can change how insects behave. Scientists wanted to see if eating corn leaves and roots at the same time would make these chemicals more attractive to a common pest, the wireworm. They grew corn in pots and exposed it t

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