COLLEGE STATION, Texas, US — Agricultural Research Service (ARS) científicos en el Centro de Investigación Agrícola de las Llanuras del Sur están examinando la bioquímica de los pulgones con el objetivo de desarrollar un agente de control biológico de las plagas. Los pulgones han mostrado signos de desarrollar cierta resistencia a los insecticidas a los agroquímicos comúnmente utilizados para combatirlos, creando la necesidad de métodos alternativos de protección de cultivos.
The project works with neuropeptides — chemical signals that control and regulate a wide range of bodily functions, such as digestion, respiration, water intake and excretions. When the neuropeptide is broken down by the body’s enzymes, the effect triggered by the chemical signal is turned off. The neuropeptide mimics, or analogues, the research team is developing have slightly altered molecular structures that will not break down when attacked by enzymes. The goal is to kill the pest by disrupting its biological functions.
En un estudio publicado recientemente en la revista Péptidos, scientists working on the project found that one formulation killed 90% to 100% of aphids in their test sample within three days, at a rate and potency comparable to insecticides now on the market. While the neuropeptide analogues are currently being tested and evaluated, the researchers say that the molecular structures of the insect kinins (the class of neuropeptides being studied) are so unique that a biocontrol agent formulated from them is unlikely to have any effect on humans, plants or other types of organisms.