Fitchette, T. (2018, November 12). Genetic engineering and IPM aid pink bollworm eradication. Retrieved from https://www.farmprogress.com/cotton/genetic-engineering-and-ipm-aid-pink-bollworm-eradication

Cotton growers in California celebrate the eradication of pink bollworm, a pest that threatened the cotton industry across the cotton belt. The pink bollworm was eradicated using integrative pest management (IPM) techniques that involved pink bollworm moths that were genetically modified to be sterile. It is noted that it is possible the pest may return with more resistance in the future, since this is always a possibility without 100% eradication. The use of genetically engineered pink bollworm moths is especially note worthy since it is believed to have prevented the use of billions of pounds of insecticide.

This case presents an instance of the use of genetic engineering to alter a population. Anthropogenic species eradication may have unintended consequences on ecosystems. However, this case also presents the dangers of using genetically modified (and therefore identical plants) in agriculture. Doing so makes crops more vulnerable to pests and diseases as they suffer from limited resistance due to a lack of genetic diversity. This case very well highlights both the positive aspects of genetic engineering (using genetic engineering to make the pink bollworm sterile) and negative aspects (dangers of monocrop agriculture).