Researchers from the University of Zurich have discovered that using biodiversity within a plant species can effectively reduce crop damage from herbivores, potentially reducing the need for harmful pesticides. By mixing different plant genotypes, the study found that certain combinations can exhibit associative resistance to pests and diseases, providing a more sustainable approach to agriculture. This promising finding highlights the importance of genetic diversity in crops and the conservation of biodiversity for a healthier environment.
Utilizing Plant Interactions
With a wide-ranging field study, scientists at the University of Zurich have practically constructed an agricultural outcome that contradicts traditional sources and advises on the use of pesticides. They found that if one combines different genotypes of a single plant species in an optimal manner, the resulting increased biodiversity will be able to protect itself against herbivorous insects without having to resort to harmful pesticides.
Similar to the way human social interactions can determine how likely someone is to suffer from infections, so too does the genetic diversity of plants play a key role in their resistance to pests and diseases, according top researchers. Some combinations demonstrate a phenomenon called ‘associative resistance’ where plants benefit from completely different pathogen or herbivore suppression mechanisms. This incitement offers a hopeful alternative to the unsolicited and often damaging use of pesticides that can have far-reaching repercussions on an ecosystem.
The Genetic Basis of Associative Resistance Unraveled
In order to have a closer look into what happens in the mechanism of associative resistance, researchers developed a new analytical approach named Neighbor GWAS. This novel method uses a physics-based model to explore the genetic signaling interactions of neighbouring plant individuals. Ultimately, the researchers found many genes involved them cooperation by observing how herbivory was altered as they planted adjacent plants with various genetic sequences.
The researchers then used machine learning approaches to forecast optimal genotypic combinations that would maximize associative resistance and minimize herbivory damage. They tested their predictions by performing an additional large-scale field experiment spanning 2 years, planting approximately 2000 plant individuals as pairs of genotypes with differing predicted levels of associative resistance. The researchers found that the two most resistant predicted levels of resistance, the single generation (displaying the highest) and 144 generations (the second highest), reduced herbivore damage by 24.8 and 22.7% respectively as compared to planting an entire area with one genotype.
Planting a Better Tomorrow: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Nourishment and Sustainability For All
This study is thought to have broader implications for the future of sustainable agriculture. Now, as the world battles to feed food security without destroying the environment and biodiversity at significant scale, another facet of using associative resistance seems promising.
The researchers continue that, in well-characterized genomes as for example major agricultural crops like sky and rice, the Neighbor GWAS can predicit optimal genotype mixtures to maximize associative resistance and hence crop yield. It not only helps to reduce the dependence on pesticides, but also assists in the preservation of biodiversity of which beneficial insects are an important component.
Harnessing biodiversity in crop systems allows us to move closer to our ultimate goal of optimizing the trade-off between increasing food production and serving as environmental stewards. This innovate approach is a major step in the right direction to sustainability, resilience in agriculture for the farmers as well as for the planet.
