CSIRO scientists and partners successfully mapped for the first time the
genome of cotton bollworm and corn earworm, two of the most devastating
caterpillar pests in agriculture. This relevant information will make it
easier for researchers to identify the weaknesses of the pests, predict how
they will mutate, and design plants that they will not want to eat. This
breakthrough could potentially help the agriculture industry save billions
of dollars a year.

The bollworm and earworm cause an excess of US$5 billion in control costs
and damage crops in Asia, Europe, Africa, America, and Australia. The
bollworm, in particular, easily develops resistance to pesticides. "It is
the single most important pest of agriculture in the world, making it
humanity's greatest competitor for food and fiber," CSIRO scientist Dr. John
Oakeshott said. "Its genomic arsenal has allowed it to outgun all our known
insecticides through the development of resistance, reflecting its name,
armigera, which means armed and warlike."

In the mid-1990s, CSIRO scientists and Australian cotton breeders developed
insect resistant varieties with Bt genes. After 10 years, there was an 80
percent decrease in the use of chemical pesticides that were used to control
bollworms. However, a small percentage of bollworms have developed
resistance to Bt cotton and new pesticides were introduced to manage the
pest problem. With the genome data available, new resistance management
strategies can be developed.

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