Controlling a fir worm using its own DNA

We use the latest discovery thatadnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid Participative, so theadnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid Alien to the living being, poisonous to itself, summarizes Annie Desloriers, lead researcher on the project and professor in the Department of Basic Sciences at the University of Quebec at Chicôtime (UQAC).

The scientist explains that in order to be toxic,adnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid It has to be segmented and focused, which is quite a challenge.

Currently, hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest, mainly in eastern Quebec, are sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (BTK). It is a biological insecticide that has the disadvantage of attacking species similar to the fruit moth, but does not cause the same harm.

It still causes some damage to biodiversity, summarizes Annie Desloriers, who wants to develop a specific insecticide that will only attack the fir budworm, thanks adnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid.

This adnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acidWhen an insect ingests it, it will be toxic because it wreaks havoc both at the cellular level and at the level of the intestinal wall. After that, it causes the insect to dieExplained in an interview with the program northern 138.

The discovery of the phenomenon is attributed to a team from the University of Naples in Italy.

when [les chercheurs de l’université de Naples] Tell me that, we thought we could try this on the bud worm.

Initial tests by Quebec researchers showed the idea’s potential. However, a lot of research needs to be done, and significant technical challenges must be faced before there can be any hope of using innovative insecticides.

Multidisciplinary team

The study was funded by the Quebec Fund for Nature Research and Technologies (FRQNT) and the Quebec Department of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.

A multidisciplinary team is needed for the project. Ilga Porth, from University of Laval, faces the challenge of producing a large quantity of كميةadnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid buds; Lionel Ripoll, fromUQACUniversity of Quebec at Chicôtime, you have to find a way to wrap itadnNuclear deoxyribonucleic acid cellulose so that the insect can eat it.

Eric Paus, full professor at Université Laval, will conduct tests on the lethal concentration of the product before Annie Desloriers analyzes the effect of the product on trees.

The researcher notes that the development and approval of such a product can take a long time. It may not be possible to use it to control current budworm infestations.

However, she hopes this technology will find applications against other insects or in other industries, such as agriculture.