Friend or Foe? Bacteria vs. Aphids
Mark Canlapan, Chloe Orth, Destiny Nava, Tiena Elias
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Mitzy Fernanda Porras Becerra
Corn leaf aphids (Rophalosipum maidis) are sap-feeding insects that feed on corn. These insects cause damage to the corn plants by reducing the plant’s vigor from direct feeding on the phloem and causing mold growth from their honeydew secretion. Due to their destructive nature against plants like corn, they pose a threat towards agriculture by encouraging the use of toxic pesticides that can cause damage to the surrounding environment and its inhabitants. Pseudomonas protegens PBL3 is a beneficial bacteria that lives in soil. This bacteria produces a secretome, a mixture of bioactive compounds like orfamides and pyoluteorin. Studies show that the bacteria’s secretome has a negative effect against insects and pathogens by acting as an antibiotic, although, it is unclear whether the secretome can directly affect the aphids. In this experiment, the corn leaves will be sprayed with the bacteria’s secretome and the aphids will feed on the leaves. We hypothesize that if the aphids are exposed to the seretome, the aphids will have a higher mortality rate compared to the unexposed aphids. If the hypothesis is proven right, use of the secretome can be implemented in agriculture as an environment friendly pesticide.