Arthropod crop pests are responsible for 20% of global annual crop losses, a figure predicted to increase in a changing climate where the ranges of numerous species are projected to expand. At the same time, many insect species are beneficial, acting as pollinators and predators of pest species. For thousands of years, humans have used increasingly sophisticated chemical formulations to control insect pests but, as the scale of agriculture expanded to meet the needs of the global population, concerns about the negative impacts of agricultural practices on biodiversity have grown. While biological solutions, such as biological control agents and pheromones, have previously had relatively minor roles in pest management, biotechnology has opened the door to numerous new approaches for controlling insect pests. In this review, we look at how advances in synthetic biology and biotechnology are providing new options for pest control. We discuss emerging technologies for engineering resistant crops and insect populations and examine advances in biomanufacturing that are enabling the production of new products for pest control.

中文翻译：

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合成生物学时代的害虫防治


节肢动物作物害虫造成全球每年农作物损失的 20%，随着气候变化，许多物种的活动范围预计将扩大，这一数字预计还会增加。同时，许多昆虫物种是有益的，充当害虫物种的传粉者和捕食者。数千年来，人类使用越来越复杂的化学制剂来控制害虫，但随着农业规模的扩大以满足全球人口的需求，人们对农业实践对生物多样性产生负面影响的担忧日益增加。虽然生物防治剂和信息素等生物解决方案以前在害虫防治中发挥的作用相对较小，但生物技术为控制害虫的许多新方法打开了大门。在这篇综述中，我们探讨了合成生物学和生物技术的进步如何为害虫防治提供新的选择。我们讨论了抗性作物和昆虫种群工程的新兴技术，并研究了生物制造方面的进展，这些进展使害虫防治新产品的生产成为可能。