BREAD: Towards Biological Control of Insect Oil Palm Pests

PI: Raymond St. Leger（马里兰大学）共同PI: Thomas A. Miller（加州大学河滨分校）合作者：Charles Dewhurst（巴布亚新几内亚油棕研究协会，巴布亚新几内亚）节肢动物害虫破坏了世界每年约25%的作物产量。自20世纪40年代引入化学杀虫剂以来，节肢动物病虫害的防治一直严重依赖化学杀虫剂。然而，昆虫抗药性的发展以及这些化学品对环境和健康的影响促使人们寻找其他虫害防治方法。巴布亚新几内亚（PNG）每年报告的害虫问题中有80%以上是由一群统称为Sexava的长角蚱蜢引起的，它们会在大规模爆发时使油棕榈落叶。通过概念验证基础研究，该项目将侧重于了解和测试一种替代的虫害防治方法，以减轻长角蚱蜢虫害。金龟子绿僵菌菌株443是长角特有的真菌，可以低成本大规模生产，但充分的作物保护要求真菌更有效。首先，利用绿僵菌的传染性作为杀虫蛋白的传递系统，提高其毒力。研究人员将对金龟子分枝杆菌进行工程改造，以表达蝎子或蜘蛛的杀虫肽，通过减少孢子剂量和处理时间来提高生物防治剂的效果。其次，将测试分子策略来阻止真菌孢子的产生，以防止真菌通过昆虫宿主时转基因的潜在传播。该项目的总目标是开展初步工作，研制一种具有遗传遏制作用的生物虫害防治剂。这项研究的广泛影响有望超越金龟子分枝杆菌，为宿主-病原体相互作用提供一个模型。该项目将为生物害虫防治剂的开发提供基本见解。项目进展和成果将在马里兰大学的项目网站（http://TEGR.umd.edu）上公布，并在开放获取期刊上发表。最后，该项目支持一名博士后学者，并强调在整合遗传、分子、生理和观察方法的研究中纳入代表性不足的少数民族。

PI: Raymond St. Leger (University of Maryland)Co-PI: Thomas A. Miller (University of California, Riverside)Collaborator: Charles Dewhurst (Papua New Guinea Oil Palm Research Association, Papua New Guinea)Arthropod pests destroy about 25% of the world's annual crop production. Since the introduction of chemical insecticides in the 1940s, arthropod pest control has relied heavily upon chemical insecticides. However, the development of insect resistance, and the environmental and health impacts of these chemicals has stimulated the search for alternative pest control methods. More than 80% of the reports of pest problems in Papua New Guinea (PNG) each year derive from a group of long-horn grasshoppers collectively known as Sexava, which defoliate oil palms in large outbreaks. Through proof-of-concept basic research, this project will focus on understanding and testing an alternative pest control approach towards mitigation of long-horn grasshopper insect pest. The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae strain 443 is specific to long-horns and could be mass produced at low cost, but adequate crop protection requires that the fungus be more potent. First, the infectivity of M. anisopliae will be used as a delivery system for insecticidal proteins to improve virulence of the fungus. M. anisopliae will be engineered to express insecticidal peptides from scorpion or spider, to increase the efficacy of the biocontrol agent with a reduced spore dose and time of treatment. Second, molecular strategies will be tested to block production of fungal spores in order to prevent the potential spread of transgenes when the fungus passed through the insect host. The overall goal of the project is to carry out initial work towards a biological pest control agent with genetic containment. The broader impact of this research is expected to extend beyond M. anisopliae in providing a model for host-pathogen interactions. The project will provide basic insight for the development of biological pest control agents. Project progress and outcomes will be accessible on a project web site at the University of Maryland (http://TEGR.umd.edu) and through publication in open access journals. Finally, this project supports a postdoctoral scholar and emphasizes the inclusion of underrepresented minorities in research that integrates genetic, molecular, physiological and observational approaches.