Research & Development

Camelina Plants Engineered to Produce Pheromones for Pest Control

Camelina plant, a source of cooking oil, was genetically engineered to contain insect sex pheromones that can be extracted for sustainable insect pest control.

The research team, led by experts at ISCA, Inc., modified the genetic code of camelina plants to contain genes of insects to promote the production of the desired pheromones. The plants produce the precursor compounds of the pheromone in the seed oil. The technology is currently in the initial trial in Brazil, which shows that the plant-derived pheromones are performing similarly to chemically-produced formulations with pheromones. Both treatments suppressed cotton bollworm populations in bean fields by preventing adult moths from mating. Plant-derived pheromones for fall armyworm control is also being developed by ISCA researchers.

(Source: Crop Biotech Update, International Service for Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications. www.isaaa.org)