Researchers are genetically engineering plants to produce the sex pheromones of insects, which then frustrate the pests’ attempts to mate.

“Sexy plants” are on the way to replacing many harmful pesticides, scientists say, by producing the sex pheromones of insects which then frustrate pests’ attempts to mate.

Scientists have already genetically engineered a plant to produce the sex pheromones of moths and are now optimising that, as well as working on new pheromones such as those of the mealybugs that plague citrus growers.

Sex pheromones are already used to protect some higher-value crops, such as tomatoes and berries. But the complex molecules are currently produced by chemical synthesis, which is expensive.

The new work uses a plant as a bio-factory, powered by the sun. Other researchers are also working on brewing sex pheromones using genetically modified yeast, a process already widely used to make, for example, insulin for diabetic patients.

Existing pesticides often harm both pests and beneficial insects, such as bees. Some are now pervasive in the environment around the world and are partly to blame for crashing insect populations. The world’s most widely used insecticides, neonicotinoids, were banned from outdoor use by the European Union in April. In contrast, pheromones are specific to each species and, being used in tiny amounts in fields, do not contaminate the wider area.

“For many species, pheromone manufacturing is difficult and expensive,” said Nicola Patron, at the Earlham Institute, UK, which has received three years of European funding for the new project, along with scientists in Spain, Germany and Slovenia. “Bioengineering can provide viable alternatives to manufacturing, expanding the use of pheromones that will be much kinder to our environment.”

A pilot project called SexyPlant created a genetically modified tobacco plant that produces and releases the sex pheromones of the cotton bollworm and navel orangeworm, both larvae of moths. This is now being improved to give bigger yields. The same plant has already been engineered by others to produce ebola antibodies and polio vaccine.

In the new work, the pheromone will first be harvested from the plant and put in traps or dispensers to prevent pests mating. But in future, plants producing the pheromones could be planted alongside the crops they protect. This will prevent females finding mates and laying their eggs on crops, which the larvae then destroy, but will not affect the insects away from the field.

Patron and her colleagues are also isolating pheromones from citrus mealybugs, chosen because they are particularly complex molecules. “If we can do these, we can probably do most things,” said Patron.

She said crop plants were not themselves being engineered to produce pheromones, so no GM material would be in the final produce. Pheromones harvested from the plants could be used in fields quite soon, but putting pheromone-producing plants in fields is 10-15 years away, Patron said, because of the long regulatory process for GM plants.

Other scientists, at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), are exploring using engineered yeast cells to produce pheromones. “We aim to produce pheromones by fermentation and it will make the pheromones affordable for the protection of row crops, like maize and soybean,” said Irina Borodina at DTU.

One of the pests her group is targeting is the fall armyworm, which poses a major threat to food security in Africa and elsewhere. “African farmers have tried to treat this pest with insecticides, but it has become resistant,” said Borodina. “So there is an urgent need for a solution because otherwise people will starve.”

Different approaches are welcomed by Patron, whose group is also exploring the potential of fungi to produce pheromones: “At this stage of biomanufacturing, there is not one perfect solution and it definitely makes sense we try it across different types of organisms and see what is going to work.”

Chris Hartfield, at the National Farmers’ Union in England, said: “Looking for alternative ways of effectively controlling the many crop pests farmers face is at the heart of the integrated pest management approach taken by farmers and growers. Using pheromones and other biopesticides, where available, is an important part of that approach.

“Farmers are in the job of producing safe, traceable and affordable food, so the critical thing for them is to have an effective crop protection toolbox available to combat pests today,” he said. “If they lose a pesticide from that toolbox, food production could be severely impacted if the effective alternative is several years away at the end of a research project.”

Source: The Guardian

De Nederlandse hop sterft uit. Dit tot groot verdriet van de lokale bierbrouwers. Daarom zijn twee ambachtelijke brouwers samen met Hogeschool Inholland en Wageningen University, een project gestart om de sterke eigenschappen en authentieke smaak van de oude hop rassen weer in de huidige rassen te zetten. De onderzoekers ontleden eerst de genetische en chemisch samenstelling van de oude rassen. Deze kennis gebruiken ze vervolgens om weer authentieke Nederlandse hop variëteiten te maken. Haast is geboden, dus zullen de modernste veredelingsmethoden hierbij worden ingezet. HollandBIO juicht deze ambachtelijke en moderne kruisbestuiving toe en kan niet wachten om het eerste biertje te proeven!

Lees het hele originele artikel hier (alleen voor abonnees van het Parool).

From health benefits to increased flavour and longer shelf-life, discover the new generation of GM foods designed with the consumer in mind.

Non-browning apples

Some people dislike eating fruit with flesh that has become discoloured. This never happens to Arctic apples. They went on sale in the US in November 2017.

Potatoes that don’t bruise

The Innate potato is less prone to bruising and consequent black spots. When fried, it also produces less acrylamide, a substance suspected of causing cancer, than conventional spuds do.

Wheat with “good” gluten

People with coeliac disease could soon have their cake and eat it. At least two groups worldwide are editing out the genes for the gluten proteins that damage the guts of people with this digestive disorder. One GM wheat is undergoing clinical trials in Spain.

Pink pineapples

They are pink because they accumulate lycopene, the pigment that makes tomatoes red, instead of converting it into yellow beta-carotene as normal pineapples do. The US gave the green light for this variety to be eaten in December 2016, but it is yet to go on sale. Lycopene is thought to have various health benefits. The pink pineapples are also said to be sweeter – and add a twist to a pina colada.

Omega-3 rapeseed (canola)

This seed from the rape plant is rich in the beneficial omega-3 oil DHA. The plan is to market it first as fish feed and then for human consumption. Last year, 1200 hectares were grown and harvested in the US.

High-fibre white bread

Gene-edited wheat yields white flour with three times as much dietary fibre as standard white flour.

Bloodier oranges

Blood oranges are regarded as beneficial because they are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins. Normal blood oranges only turn red if they experience cold nights while growing. The GM strain is full of anthocyanins regardless of the weather. The oranges are not yet on sale.

Bananas with a boost

The matoke cooking banana is a staple in Uganda. The GM variety contains provitamin A, a lack of which can lead to blindness. It is being field tested in Uganda and could be on sale in 2021.

Lower-saturated fat rapeseed oil

Conventional rapeseed oil contains 7 per cent saturated fats. A gene-edited variety will have half this amount.

Golden rice

Rice designed to reduce vitamin A deficiency has been under development for decades, but has yet to reach market. It received a big boost earlier this year when Australia, New Zealand and Canada declared it safe for humans, meaning there would be no regulatory issues if those countries imported food containing small quantities of the rice.

Source: New Scientist

FrieslandCampina’s long-keeping chocolate milk brand, Chocomel, is set to be packaged in a new, innovative cardboard liter pack made up of 80 percent raw plant material from Tetra Pak. The move places Chocomel as the first product to be packed in the liter pack, of which wood and sugar are the parent materials.

The cartons’ 80 percent plant material make-up consists of cardboard made from wood that is 100 percent sourced from FSC-certified forests. The plastic cap and the outer plastic layer of the iconic yellow-colored pack are made from plants. The materials are based on waste plant material that is leftover once all the edible parts have been taken out, further enhancing the packaging as sustainable with a nod towards the circular economy.

Bron: Food ingredients 1st