by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
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Corn<\/strong> is one of the most widely consumed grains in the world and, like all crops, faces each year the threat of pests<\/strong>. Two of them, in particular, have always been a significant concern for farmers in the United States<\/strong>: the Northern Corn Rootworm<\/strong> (Diabrotica barberi) and the Western Corn Rootworm<\/strong> (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera), so named in relation to the areas of greatest prevalence. Knowing their survival mechanisms, it goes without saying, is a key step in better understanding their dynamics and studying strategies to combat them.<\/p>\n Providing a contribution in this regard recently was a research<\/a> from the University of Kentucky<\/strong>. Which, its authors claim, reveals a previously unknown issue: the genetic mechanisms that enable these pests to withstand the severity of winter.<\/p>\n