insects Review Western Corn Rootworm, Plant and Microbe Interactions: A Review and Prospects for New Management Tools Kyle J. Paddock 1 , Christelle A. M. Robert 2,3 , Matthias Erb 2,3 and Bruce E. Hibbard 4,* 1 Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA;
[email protected] 2 Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, 3013 Bern, Switzerland;
[email protected] (C.A.M.R.);
[email protected] (M.E.) 3 Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3013 Bern, Switzerland 4 Plant Genetics Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Columbia, MO 65211, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] Simple Summary: Over 90 million acres of US cropland are planted with corn, Zea mays, annually. The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, causes significant economic damage by feeding on corn roots and the insect has populations that have adapted to nearly all management techniques in some regions. Additional tools are needed. Significant research on the basic biology of this pest has added new possibilities. Here, we summarize research that we believe has potential for future management of this major pest. Abstract: The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is resistant to four separate classes of traditional insecticides, all Bacillius thuringiensis (Bt) toxins currently registered for commercial use, crop rotation, innate plant resistance factors, and even double-stranded RNA Citation: Paddock, K.J.; Robert, (dsRNA) targeting essential genes via environmental RNA interference (RNAi), which has not C.A.M.; Erb, M.; Hibbard, B.E. been sold commercially to date.