Show plants can bite back when bugs attack them ITHACA A commercial method of enabling plants to bite back when attacked by bugs was announced by cornell university dr W E blauvelt of the uni vers itys entomology department said three years of research on an old discovery had enabled him to control a nuri number iber of important pests on ion florists crops without the usual sprays and dusts simply by having the plant themselves supply th the poison heres how its done sodium a white powder is mixed with water and certain concentrations applied to the soil where it is taken up by the roots of the plants and accumulates in the sap foliage and buds the bug bites the plant and the plant bites back dr blauvelt explained pla ined in the process of getting its food the insect also gets the poison and the result is automatic continuous pest control with the plant doing the work |