ENDOPHYTIC MICROBIAL CULTURE-COLLECTION FOR PEST MANAGEMENT IN MAIZE

This project is centered on maize, an economically fundamental crop, and its goals are to: (i) generate a bacterial culture collection with biotechnological potential, and (ii) bioprospect to enhance maize defense against fall armyworm and western corn rootworm. The biocontrols will be mined from the endosphere of maize's ancestor, Balsas teosinte, which is an evolutionarily and ecologically relevant source that can alter the crop's endosphere, and enhance its pest and pathogen defenses. As part of the first objectiving, we will develop novel highthroughput microbial isolation methods specifically designed towards foliar endophytes. The isolates from the optimized method will be dereplicated using highthroughput molecular dereplication methods based on genomic and genetic characters. In the second objective, the isolates will be inoculated to maize seeds. The endophytized plants will be assessed for elevated tolerance to herbivory of fall armyworm and western corn rootworm.