Potential Pests of Future Ethanol Crops Rediscovered

South Dakota State University scientists have discovered a suite of native grass insects that no one ever cared about previously but could someday become significant pests when farmers start cultivating native grasses for ethanol feedstock production.

Research at the SDSU Plant Science Department has documented previously unknown grass insects that rely on North American native grasses like the prairie cordgrass, switchgrass and cup plant. Forage crop breeders at SDSU have been exploring the native prairie ecosystem to look for grasses that would someday replace food crops like corn and sugarcane as sources of raw material for making ethanol. 

The future could hold similar opportunities for these native grass insects, which tended to get overlooked for many years, to emerge as significant pests if their host plants become crops cultivated for biofuel. This is what the researchers are seeing from their experimental plots. For example, the switchgrass moth, switchgrass midge and another moth called giant eucosm can reduce both biomass and seed yield of their host plants. The cordgrass moth and the cordgrass bug can cause devastating reductions in biomass and plant health of prairie cordgrass. Scientists are now prompted to look into the interaction of these grassland insects with their hosts.