Exploring viruses to control the soybean aphid;
Bryony Bonning ( Iowa State University), W. Allen Miller ( Iowa State University) ($50000). The Project Manager's email is wamiller@iastate.edu.
Key Words: Soybean Aphid - Biocontrol, Soybean Aphid, Virus-inducted Gene Silencing
Aphids cost US agriculture billions of dollars/year in yield losses and costs of pesticide application used in aphid control. In recent years, the soybean aphid has been a serious problem for Iowa soybean producers, costing them millions of dollars in aphid control (pesticide application) and/or yield loss. Genetic resistance is inadequate and other effective management options are limiting.
This project is to investigate the use of viruses and/or virus genes to kill or control the soybean aphid. This new approach may lead to new biological control and/or transgenic resistance tools to reduce or eliminate yield loss results from soybean aphid infestations.
The researchers will:
• Clone two aphid lethal paralysis viruses (ALPV and ALPLV) and propagate large quantities of these viruses in aphid cell lines for field studies;
• Develop a virus-inducted gene silencing (VIGS) vector for silencing of aphid genes; and
• Compare the biological properties of the two viruses (ALPV and ALPLV).
This project is funded by Indiana Soybean Alliance
Website is funded by the soybean checkoff
