# Drawing the line

## TL;DR

Researchers found that injecting a specific bacteria into pea aphids can kill them quickly, offering a potential alternative to pesticides.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that high concentrations of Pseudomonas syringae can rapidly kill pea aphids, suggesting a viable biological control method.

## Key findings

- Injecting high concentrations of Pseudomonas syringae killed 98% of pea aphids within 24 hours.
- Lower concentrations or control groups showed significantly less mortality.
- This suggests Pseudomonas syringae could replace chemical pesticides for aphid control.

## Abstract

The pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum is an agriculturally important pest of leguminous plants including peas and broad beans. The widespread use of chemical pesticides impacts heavily on the environment, and increases pesticide-resistant pea aphid populations, so alternative strategies are being actively sought. Pseudomonas syringae bacteria are known to infect and kill the pea aphid, and offer a possible control strategy. In this study, the authors measured the effects of injecting P. syringae on the survival of pea aphid populations at 24 and 48 hours. The pea aphid population was killed more rapidly (98 % after 24 hours) with a higher concentration of injected bacteria than in the control or with lower concentrations, indicating that a P. syringae-based control strategy may be a useful alternative to conventional pesticides.