Plant Protectors

As well as providing nitrogen for plant food, bacteria can also act as guards for our crops. Each year, insects destroy tens of thousands of tons of food – pesticides can aid in the battle against these creatures but they also poison small animals and are not guaranteed safe for humans.

So what can bacteria do?

A bacterium was discovered in the early 1990’s that contains a poison only toxic to insects. If insects consume the bacteria, they die. Other animals are not affected and the damage can even be limited to certain insects only by carefully choosing the type (strain) of this particular bacteria used.

t Back      Return to Introduction      Next u