Dr. Sanjay Antony-Babu applies microbiome research to practical pest management and crop improvement. His team has sequenced and annotated two endophytic strains: Bacillus sp. ST24 and Pantoea stewartii subsp. indologenes ST25, and identifying antibiotic and polyketide pathways that suppress important rice and cotton diseases. The group also showed that supplying selected rhizobacteria in insect diets reduces development of corn earworm and tobacco budworm, pointing to a chemical-free control option. On the domestication front, Antony-Babu’s comparative work revealed that modern maize has lost several beneficial leaf endophytes present in its wild ancestor, teosinte. Re-introducing a teosinte-derived synthetic community in field trials, together with targeted fertilization, has improved maize yield and soil function. Collectively, these studies translate microbial ecology into deployable biopesticides and biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture.