Use of Endosymbiotic Bacteria as a Bio-control Agent

Maruthi M. N. Gowda of the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom will use a virulent strain of the endosymbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia, as a biocontrol agent for controlling the whitefly, thereby controlling whitefly-transmitted plant viruses. Wolbachia can both inhibit reproduction and egg laying and inhibit virus transmission, and can naturally spread through whitefly populations. The work would identify the appropriate Wolbachia strain and determine the effects on the whitefly.