Biodiverse Plant Genotype Mixes Help Protect Crops from Insect Damage

Researchers at the University of Zurich published the results of a comprehensive field study showing that crop damage from plant-eating insects can be reduced by utilizing biodiversity within a plant species. Scientists already recognized that when different genetic types of the same plant species are mixed and planted together, some combinations are more resistant to pests and diseases—a positive biodiversity effect known as associative resistance. The University of Zurich researchers developed new methods of genomic prediction using a physics model to analyze interactions between individuals at the genetic level, so they can predict which combinations will have the best pest resistance. In field testing, mixing two plant genotypes in a planting reduced insect damage by as much as 24.8%. The researchers say that using their model for selecting crop planting mixes could result in improved yields and reduced pesticide use.