Whitefly genetic technologies platform - tools and resources development

烟粉虱被认为是世界上最具破坏性和最难对付的农作物害虫之一。它能够传播100种不同的植物病毒，寄主范围约为1000种植物，是对农业生产和全球粮食安全的主要威胁。目前采取的控制该害虫的主要策略是使用杀虫剂。然而，对杀虫剂对传粉者的影响以及烟粉虱媒介产生抗药性的能力的担忧，意味着越来越需要部署替代策略。该项目的目的是开发强大的烟粉虱基因技术，不仅有利于阐明它们与它们所携带的植物病毒相互作用的机制以及如何进行操纵，而且还将为开发基于遗传的控制技术铺平道路，例如基因驱动作为基于化学的媒介管理的替代方案。

The tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci is regarded as one of the world's most destructive and intractable crop pests. Capable of vectoring over a 100 different plant viruses and with a host range of approximately 1000 plant species, it is a major threat to agricultural production and global food security. The main strategy currently deployed to control this pest is the application of insecticides. However, concerns about the effect of insecticides on pollinators, and the ability of whitefly vectors to develop insecticide-resistance, means there is a growing need to deploy alternative strategies. The aim of this project is to develop robust genetic technologies for whitefly that will not only be advantageous in elucidating the mechanisms underpinning their interactions with the plant viruses they vector and how this may be manipulated, but will also pave the way for developing genetic-based control technologies such as gene-drives as an alternative to chemical-based vector management.