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Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Delivery of Nucleic Acids through Embryo Microinjection in the Worldwide Agricultural Pest Insect, Ceratitis capitata
Published on: October 1, 2016
Genetic engineering, integrated pest management and the evolution of pests
1Fred Gould is at the Department of Entomology, Box 7634, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7634, USA.
Abstract:
It is well known that pest populations can evolve resistance to pesticides. The bollworm complex (Heliothis spp.), which attacks cotton plants, is a particularly good example of a highly adaptable pest. To achieve long-term success, genetic engineering projects for the production of 'insecticidal' crop plants, including cotton, need to take account of the adaptive potential of pests. Using the bollworm complex as a model, it is possible to show how an integrated approach to pest management, involving genetic engineers, evolutionary biologists and ecologists, could lead to the development of safe and effective transgenic cultivars.
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