Want to know more? Read the paper: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/361/6403/694 Maize plants release secondary metabolites into the soil that bind to iron and thereby facilitate its uptake by the plant. The Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera), the economically most important maize pest worldwide, is attracted by these complexes, extracts the bound iron from the maize plant uses it for its own nutrition. Original publication: L. Hu et al. Plant Iron Acquisition Strategy Exploited b