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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Crop Protection and Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #207543
Title: F1 Sterility: A Novel Approach for Risk Assessment of Biocontrol Agents in Open Field Trials

Author
item Carpenter, James
item Tate, Colothdian

Submitted to: International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/24/2007
Publication Date: 4/22/2007
Citation: Carpenter, J.E., Tate, C.D. 2007. F1 sterility: A novel approach for risk assessment of biocontrol agents in open field trials [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the XII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, April 22-27, 2007, La Grande Motte, France. p. 21.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Because of the growing concern of the potential risk of non-target effects, more stringent host-specificity testing is required to import and release exotic biological control agents. Appropriate host-specificity testing beyond quarantine conditions could reduce the risks of releasing biological control agents that cause negative ecological effects, and also reduce the risk that a valuable and safe biological control agent would not be approved for release. The use of reproductively inactivated insects could allow in-field host-specificity and geographical-range testing to assess the safety of exotic lepidopterans being considered as biological control agents against invasive weeds. The outstanding control of invasive cacti by Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a classic example of successful biological control. However, C. cactorum became an invasive pest after its recent unintentional arrival in Florida, and currently a major effort is being developed to mitigate its negative impact. Nevertheless, the presence of C. cactorum in the U.S. and its status as both a beneficial insect and pest species provided us a unique model system to conduct proof-of-concept studies on the use of inherited (F1) sterility as a new risk management tool for assessing the safety of exotic lepidopterans being considered as biological control agents for invasive weeds.