Wake-Up Call For Old World Bollworm

Aug 24, 2015

By Jim Steadman

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed that the Old World bollworm (OWB), an aggressive global pest, has been found in western coastal Florida.

According to APHIS, the pest – known officially as Helicoverpa armigera – is found in many countries around the world and, most recently, in Puerto Rico, Brazil and Argentina. It is considered a severe economic pest in most places where it occurs and can impact at least 180 species of plants, including cotton, vegetables, soybeans, tobacco, corn and other grain crops.

Nearly a third of global pesticide treatments in areas of infestation are aimed at controlling OWB, which has shown a history of developing resistance to insecticides and, potentially, some Bt proteins. APHIS has dedicated more than $1.2 million for OWB detection and control efforts in the U.S. in 2015.

OWB is related to the corn earworm/cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa zea), and the two are nearly identical in appearance. DNA analysis is needed to distinguish the larvae of each species.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.