Geraniums（天竺葵） may hold the key to controlling the devastating¹ Japanese beetle²（日本金龟子） , which feeds on nearly 300 plant species and costs the ornamental³ plant（观赏植物） industry $450 million in damage each year, according to scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS农业研究局). The beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, can feast on a wide variety of plants, including ornamentals⁴, soybean（大豆，黄豆） , maize⁵（玉米） , fruits and vegetables. But within 30 minutes of consuming geranium petals⁶（花瓣，翼瓣） , the beetle rolls over on its back, its legs and antennae⁷（触须，天线） slowly twitch⁸（抽搐，痉挛） , and it remains⁹ paralyzed（瘫痪的，麻痹的） for several hours. The beetles¹⁰ typically recover within 24 hours when paralyzed under laboratory conditions, but they often succumb¹¹ to（屈服于） death under field conditions after predators¹²（捕食者） spot and devour¹³（毁灭，吞食） the beetles while they are helpless.

ARS entomologist（昆虫学者） Chris Ranger¹⁴ at the agency's Application Technology Research Unit in Wooster, Ohio, is working on developing a way to use geraniums to control the beetles.

Ohio and neighboring Michigan are some of the largest producers of horticultural（园艺的） plants, most of them grown in greenhouses. Other research to benefit the horticultural industry includes that of Susan Stieve, curator（馆长，管理者） of Ohio State University's Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Stieve is working with OSU collaborators and horticulturist（园艺家） Jonathan Frantz of the ARS Greenhouse Production Research Group in Toledo, Ohio, to see whether a specialized¹⁵ breed of begonias（秋海棠） can tolerate colder temperatures.

The scientists are screening the begonias at two production temperatures: 5 degrees Fahrenheit¹⁶ colder than normal, and 10 degrees F colder than normal. Begonias are found naturally in a wide variety of climates and altitudes—ecological clues that can be used to identify promising¹⁷ germplasm（生殖质） . Being able to grow begonias at cooler temperatures could reduce greenhouse heating bills for ornamental growers in northern climates.