Genetic Engineering Could Save Crops From Pests

Mediterranean fruit fly

The Mediterranean fruit fly is a serious agricultural pest which causes extensive damage to crops, but New research reveals how the release of genetically engineered male flies could be used as an effective population suppression method.

These genetically engineered flies are not sterile, but they are only capable of producing male offspring.

Researchers at the University of East Anglia and Oxitec Ltd. simulated a wild environment within secure eight-meter greenhouses containing lemon trees to study the impact of releasing Oxitec flies."We found that they were capable of producing rapid population collapse in our closed system," says Lead researcher Dr Philip Leftwich.

“This method presents a cheap and effective alternative to irradiation. We believe this is a promising new tool to deal with insects which is both environmentally friendly and effective.”

Another method of pest control is the use of pheromones to attract or repel crops, but rather than relying on industrial labs to synthesize pheromones, researchers have genetically engineered plants to do such work for them.

Tobacco plant

Plant biologists report on genetically engineered tobacco plants that produce a pheromone that once extracted from the plant, can be used to trap male moths. If scientists were to engineer plants to produce other pheromones, it would result in the trapping of other pests that endanger crops.

According to Steve Seybold of the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station in Davis, California, "It will change the way that commercial pheromone outfits do business." 

Pheromone producing plants will not only increase the quality and lower the price of commercial pheromone products,but also reduce the use of harmful chemicals in pheromone production.