Location: Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Research
2017 Annual Report
Objectives
Develop means for long-term storage of bee germplasm, including cryopreservation of embryos. [NP 305, Component 2, Problem Statements 2A, 2B, 2C]
Approach
Pollinating insects are important to the U.S. agricultural economy, contributing an estimated $16 billion to annual crop production. This critical component is currently at risk due to a dramatic decrease in managed and native pollinators, and will face additional challenges due to climate change in the future. Despite this importance, there is no organized germplasm biorepository (genebank) for bees. This project will develop protocols that support the establishment of a National Bee Germplasm Repository. Specifically, the project will focus on: 1) the development of an improved protocol for the cryopreservation of bee spermatozoa, 2) the development of a novel protocol for the cryopreservation of bee embryos, and 3) the development of a protocol for the in vitro rearing of embryos after storage into reproductively viable adults. This research will ultimately result in the preservation of elite and genetically diverse pollinator strains, the development of a cryogenically-based system for the safe importation of bee germplasm, and the systematic delivery of high-quality germplasm and insects to end users.
Progress Report
Objective 1: Honeybee spermatozoa cryopreservation: An improved artificial extender medium has been developed that improves spermatozoa quality after cryopreservation, and allows for the transportation of bee semen at room temperature, both before and after cryopreservation. Collaborators at USDA-ARS in Baton Rouge and at Washington State University are using artificial insemination of queens to determine the efficacy of post-storage spermatozoa.
Honeybee embryonic cryopreservation: A method has been developed to make the bee embryos water and cryoprotectant permeable, which is a definitive step towards developing a cryopreservation protocol for the late-stage bee embryos. Methods have also been developed for the in vitro rearing of honeybees, including using a nutrient optimized diet for bee larvae to create lab-reared queens.
Accomplishments
1. Honeybee spermatozoa cryopreservation. The lack of reliable sperm cryopreservation is a key roadblock to the development of a comprehensive and integrated honeybee breeding program. To address this problem, researchers with the USDA-ARS in Fargo, North Dakota, in collaboration with USDA-ARS scientists in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and in conjunction with the National Animal Germplasm Program, USDA-ARS in Fort Collins, Colorado have developed an improved method for honeybee spermatozoa cryopreservation by developing Fargo Honeybee Extender Medium. This medium not only improves sperm quality after cryopreservation, but allows for semen shipment at room temperature before and after storage, potentially improving the accessibility of cryopreserved samples to breeding programs worldwide.
2. The role of royal jelly in honey bee queen determination. For over a hundred years, researchers have been searching for the factors in royal jelly that cause honey bee larvae to develop into queens and not workers. Researchers at Fargo, North Dakota in collaboration with scientists at the North Dakota State University have determined that it might be food quantity, not some special factor, which determines if a larva develops into a queen. Feeding larvae an intermediate quantity of food results in adult bees with a mixture of worker and queen characteristics. These results may have direct implications for queen quality for commercial queen rearing operations.
