Agricultural yield loss caused by beetle and weevil infestations. Mitigating this damage prevents economic loss and reduces reliance on broad-spectrum chemical pesticides.

Existing insecticidal agents suffer from narrow host ranges or emerging resistance in target populations. Improving the identification and efficacy of pathogenic proteins prevents crop yield loss and reduces reliance on chemical pesticides.

Existing plant defenses fail to prevent damage from diverse or evolving insect populations. Enhancing the range and potency of insecticidal expression prevents yield loss and reduces reliance on external chemical applications.