Development of Transgenic Insects
Using Transposon Elements
for Autocidal Pest Control

The excessive use of synthetic chemical pesticides caused many problems concerning soil and ground water, food chain and human health. What complicated the problem further is that insects developed resistance to almost all chemicals used. A new branch for pest control depending on genetic engineering technology is called "Autocidal Pest Control (APC)". The idea is to use molecular genetics to manipulate the insects themselves to greatly reduce the use of chemicals. This approach can be utilized, along with others, to provide a safe and ecologically sound means of controlling pests.

OBJECTIVES

•  Isolation of some lethal genes from target pests to be used in biological control (e.g. Notch and Diapause genes).

•  Establishment of transformation system for target pests in Egypt (e.g. cotton leaf worm and potato tuber moth).

•  Mass rearing of transgenic insects carrying the lethal genes.

•  Release of transgenic insects to collapse natural population under safe environmental conditions.

ACHIEVEMENTS

•  Isolation and partial sequence of Notch and diapause genes from pink bollworm.

•  Assessing different transposable elements for the transformation of pest insects using automated pressure microinjection and particle bombardment techniques.

•  Establishment of a rearing system for cotton leaf worm, pink bollworm and potato tuber moth.