Genetic biocontrol involves engineering or selecting organisms—such as bacteria, fungi, or insects—with specific genetic traits to suppress plant pests, pathogens, or weeds. This approach offers a targeted, sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides by harnessing natural biological mechanisms, reducing environmental impact while protecting crop health. In plant science, it opens new avenues for designing precision agricultural systems that integrate genomic tools with ecological strategies to manage disease and pest pressure.
Scientists engineered blowflies—a major livestock pest—to change sex based on a common antibiotic, potentially allowing pest populations to be collapsed without chemicals.
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CRISPR-based sex transformation was successfully triggered in the Australian sheep blowfly using tetracycline-repressible genetic switches
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Both active Cas9 and catalytically inactive dCas9 constructs were tested, demonstrating flexible design options for genetic control systems
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Conditional sex transformation offers a targeted, heritable mechanism to suppress pest populations as an alternative to broad-spectrum insecticides
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