Using spider venoms to develop novel, safer, insecticides for crop protection

为了满足不断增长的人口的需求，农作物的生长依赖于高效的农业活动。破坏作物的昆虫阻碍了农业生产力，造成30%的作物损失。用杀虫剂处理作物是最广泛使用的控制害虫的方法，然而，我们只依赖于少数有效的化合物。新烟碱类杀虫剂在整个欧洲的禁令突出了这一点，该禁令阻止了在室外作物上使用吡虫啉、噻虫胺和噻虫嗪，因为人们担心这些化合物会导致蜜蜂和其他非目标生物的减少。因此，农民们转而使用一种更老的化学品——拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂，害虫已经对这种杀虫剂产生了抗药性，导致一些作物无法生长。这对蚜虫来说是一个特别的问题，因为这些害虫不仅侵害植物，而且还传播许多有害的植物病毒。例如，在离开欧洲两周后，英国政府考虑紧急使用噻虫嗪来处理甜菜种子，因为目前控制甜菜黄病毒载体蚜的措施无效。因此，未来的作物害虫控制面临着重大挑战，我们迫切需要探索作物保护的新选择，其中之一是鉴定和开发生物农药，这是对环境更安全的天然化合物。

The growth of crops to meet the demand of an ever growing human population is reliant on high and efficient agricultural activity. Insects that damage crops hamper agricultural productivity, contributing significantly to the 30% of crops lost to pests. Treating crops with insecticides is the most widely-used method of controlling insect pests, however, we are reliant on only a small number of effective compounds. This is highlighted by the ban of neonicotinoids throughout Europe, which prevented the use of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam on outdoor crops, amidst concerns that these compounds are contributing to the decline of bees and other non-target organisms. As a result, farmers resorted to the use of an older class of chemicals, the pyrethroids, to which pests have become resistant, rendering the growth of some crops non-viable. This is a particular issue for aphids as these pests not only infest plants, but also vector numerous damaging plant viruses. For example, only two weeks after leaving Europe, the UK government considered the emergency use of thiamethoxam for the treatment of sugar-beet seed due to the ineffectiveness of current measures for control of the aphid Myzus persicae which vectors the beet yellows virus. The future control of crop pests, therefore, presents major challenges and we urgently need to explore novel options for crop protection, one of which is the identification and development of biopesticides, natural compounds that are safer for the environment.