Novel pest control in tomato through the use of sterile male insects

番茄害虫防治新方法[100885]这种飞蛾是2006年从其原产地南美抵达欧洲的，它是那里番茄的主要害虫。自从它在西班牙被发现以来，它已经传播开来，成为整个欧洲、北非和中东番茄种植者关注的主要问题。在英国，种植者面临着飞蛾通过运输西红柿和相关材料（如包装）到达的问题，这些材料通常对英国农民允许使用的少数杀虫剂具有抗性。生物防治——释放天敌和拟寄生虫——是一种可能的选择，但仍然迫切需要其他无化学物质的方法。Oxitec是基于基因的昆虫控制领域的全球领导者，BCP Certis是欧洲生物控制解决方案的领先供应商之一，他们合作开发了一种针对这种害虫的新型工具。利用基因技术培育出实际上是基因不育的绝对飞蛾菌株，该合作伙伴关系将提供“不育”的雄性飞蛾，并将其释放到番茄作物上。释放到田间或温室后，“不育”蛾与野生蛾交配。由于它们的后代不能存活，如果在足够的时间内释放足够的不育雄性，野生种群将会崩溃。这种方法将为种植者提供另一种急需的综合虫害管理工具，此外，将有助于将生物防治从温室扩展到室外作物。

Novel pest control in tomato; 100885The moth, Tuta absoluta, arrived in Europe in 2006 from its native South America, where it is a major pest of tomatoes. Since its discovery in Spain it has spread and become a major concern for tomato growers all over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In the UK, growers face problems with the moths arriving via transport of tomatoes and related materials (e.g. packaging), and these are often resistant to the few pesticides that UK farmers are permitted to use. Biological control – release of natural predators and parasitoids – is one possible alternative, but there remains an urgent need for other chemical-free methods. Oxitec, the world leader in genetics-based insect control, and BCP Certis, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of biological control solutions, have teamed up to develop one such novel tool for this pest. Using genetic technology to develop strains of Tuta absoluta that are, in effect, genetically sterile, the partnership will provide ‘sterile’ male moths for release over tomato crops. After release into the field or glasshouse, ‘sterile’ moths mate with wild moths. As their progeny do not survive, the wild population will crash if sufficient sterile males are released over a sufficient period of time. This method will provide growers with another much-needed tool for integrated pest management and, furthermore, will help to expand biological control beyond glasshouses to outdoor crops.