Corn rootworms are potentially devastating pests in corn production, especially in the corn belt of the United States. The microbial tools developed provide abilities to endophytically colonize plant roots. These endophytic microbes can be applied as seed treatments or in numerous other ways that allow them to colonize plant roots where they provide systemic beneficial changes in the plant physiology. Treatment with Trichoderma organisms on seeds alleviated damage on roots, even though the number of corn rootworm larvae on roots were not reduced.
