GM Insects on the Horizon
GM Insects on the Horizon
Tags: Genetic biocontrol, Moths, Oxitec, Sterile insect technique (SIT)E. Unglesbee, Progressive Farmer, 2020.
Diamondback moths would do well to be wary of potential mates in the years to come.
Scientists recently completed the first successful field testing of a genetically modified (GM) “self-limiting” insect in the U.S., using this species. When the GM male diamondback moths are released and mate with wild female moths, they pass on a gene that causes all female offspring from the match to die in the early larval stages.
