The sterile insect technique is an area‐wide pest control method that reduces agricultural pest populations by releasing mass‐reared sterile insects, which then compete for mates with wild insects. Contemporary genetics‐based technologies use insects that are homozygous for a repressible dominant lethal genetic construct rather than being sterilized by irradiation. Engineered strains of agricultural pest species, including moths such as the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella and fruit flies such as the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata, have been developed with lethality that only operates on females. Transgenic crops expressing insecticidal toxins are widely used; the economic benefits of these crops would be lost if toxin resistance spread through the pest population. The primary resistance management method is a high‐dose/refuge strategy, requiring toxin‐free crops as refuges near the insecticidal crops, as well as toxin doses sufficiently high to kill wild‐type insects and insects heterozygous for a resistance allele. Mass‐release of toxin‐sensitive engineered males (carrying female‐lethal genes), as well as suppressing populations, could substantially delay or reverse the spread of resistance. These transgenic insect technologies could form an effective resistance management strategy. We outline some policy considerations for taking genetic insect control systems through to field implementation.

中文翻译：

---

基于遗传学的农业害虫管理方法

昆虫不育技术是一种区域性害虫防治方法，通过释放大量饲养的不育昆虫，然后与野生昆虫竞争配偶，从而减少农业害虫的数量。当代基于遗传学的技术使用纯合的昆虫作为可抑制的显性致死基因构建体，而不是通过辐射进行绝育。农业害虫物种的工程菌株，包括小菜蛾 Plutella xylostella 等飞蛾和地中海果蝇 Ceratitis capitata 等果蝇，已被开发出具有仅对雌性起作用的致死性。广泛使用表达杀虫毒素的转基因作物；如果毒素抗性在害虫种群中蔓延，这些作物的经济效益就会丧失。主要的抗性管理方法是高剂量/避难所策略，需要无毒作物作为杀虫作物附近的避难所，以及足够高的毒素剂量以杀死野生型昆虫和抗性等位基因杂合的昆虫。大量释放对毒素敏感的工程雄性（携带雌性致死基因）以及抑制种群，可以显着延迟或逆转耐药性的传播。这些转基因昆虫技术可以形成有效的抗性管理策略。我们概述了将遗传昆虫控制系统应用于现场实施的一些政策考虑因素。大量释放对毒素敏感的工程雄性（携带雌性致死基因）以及抑制种群，可以显着延迟或逆转耐药性的传播。这些转基因昆虫技术可以形成有效的抗性管理策略。我们概述了将遗传昆虫控制系统应用于现场实施的一些政策考虑因素。大量释放对毒素敏感的工程雄性（携带雌性致死基因）以及抑制种群，可以显着延迟或逆转耐药性的传播。这些转基因昆虫技术可以形成有效的抗性管理策略。我们概述了将遗传昆虫控制系统应用于现场实施的一些政策考虑因素。