Scientists Use Environmental DNA Approach for Agri Pest Surveillance
August 29, 2018| |
Scientists borrowed techniques from aquatic scientists to help stop the invasion of brown marmorated stinkbug, which infests apples, peaches, tomatoes, and other crops in North America. In a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, it was reported that the scientists recovered traces of the pest's DNA in the water used by farmers to rinse their produce. This sampling of the DNA revealed the bug's cryptic presence on farms even before conventional insect traps could detect.
Rafael Valentin, agricultural scientist at Rutgers University and lead author of the study, said that the key to stopping the bug's menace is early detection. They got the solution from the farmers' own chain of operations. The researchers simply got rinse water samples from the farmers and detected the DNA of the bugs right before they got them in the traps. According to the researchers, the new method could revolutionize agricultural pest surveillance.
Read the original article from Scientific American.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- AfDB and FAO Boost Join Efforts to End Hunger and Create Wealth in Africa
- Purdue Researchers Discover Key to Mass Producing Beneficial Plant Compounds
- Researchers Unlock Secrets of Plant Development
- Argentina to Release First Biotech Soybean from China
- Farmers in South America Reap Significant Benefits from Planting Biotech Soybeans
- APHIS Announces Deregulation of GE Canola
- Researchers Discover Proteins Allow Plants to Rest Photosynthetic Activity at Night
- Japan's Ministry of Environment Meets to Discuss Genome Editing Regulation
- Scientists Isolate First Major Resistance Genes Against Wheat Stripe Rust Disease
- Global Biotech Crop Adoption Report Launched in Bogor, Indonesia
- Plant Leaves Possess A Molecular Compass
-
Research Highlights
- Scientists Identify Maize QTLs for Simultaneous Root and Agronomic Trait Selection
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Scientists Use Environmental DNA Approach for Agri Pest Surveillance
- Most Americans Accept GE Animals for Human Health, Study
-
Resources
- Guide to Understanding CRISPR Data Analysis Scores
-
Plant
- CRISPR-Cas9 Mediates Targeted Gene Replacement and Knockin in Arabidopsis
- Genome Editing to Control Gene Expression in Plants
- CRISPR-Cas9 Used to Reduce Symptoms of Cassava Brown Streak Disease
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (March 19, 2025)
- Gene Editing Supplement (March 12, 2025)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet