Insect Pest Control
We assist FAO and IAEA Member States in the implementation of environmentally-friendly and sustainable methods to control major insect pests of crops and veterinary and human importance through strategic and applied research, technology transfer, capacity building, policy
advice, and information management.
Our efforts focus on an area-wide integrated pest management approach, by the use of the sterile insect technique (SIT), to enhance food security, introduce sustainable agricultural systems, reduce losses and pesticide use, preserve biological diversity, and facilitate international trade in food and agricultural commodities by promoting the development and application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards.
Highlights
Battling Bugs - IAEA Pest Eradication Work Boosts Guatemalan Produce Exports.
The IAEA, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), helped deploy sterile insect technology (SIT), a nuclear application, to assist in curbing Guatemala's fruit fly population,
thereby providing a host of new jobs and at least doubling, over four years, export earnings from non-traditional agricultural export crops of tomatoes, bell peppers and papaya.
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Los Huistas Region in Northwestern Guatemala Declared Mediterranean Fruit Fly Free Area.
The Mediterranean fruit fly was eradicated from Los Huistas region, Guatemala. This 220 000 hectares (2 200 km2) area is located in the northwestern border with Mexico. The pest was eradicated using sterile males
of the Vienna-7 genetic sexing strain developed at the FAO/IAEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratories, and produced in the world's largest insect mass rearing facility at El Pino, Guatemala. This achievement
will allow the export of fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the region. Read More »
12th International Workshop on Arthropod Mass Rearing & Quality Control. 19-22 October 2010, Vienna, Austria.
Among the issues of particular importance that were discussed in the workshop includes the emerging field of symbiotic prokaryotes and their effects on the quality, competitiveness and survival of arthropods.
Almost wherever it is examined, it is found that symbiotic bacteria or other prokaryotes have a significant effect on their host's biology, from nutrition to behaviour and mating compatibility.
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Publication of the report"Defining environmental risk assessment criteria for genetically modified insects to be placed on the EU market".
This report first describes the ongoing developments in the field of GM-arthropods (transformed species, development purposes, and construction of GM-arthropods), and subsequently identifies potential adverse
effects as well as methods to investigate these. It was prepared by an external consortium led by Umweltbundesamt (Environment Agency Austria) and the University of Bern (Switzerland) which included the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), through the the Joint FAO/IAEA Programme.
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Inauguration of a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) emergence and release facility in Opuzen, Croatia.
The facility allows applying the environment-friendly Sterile Insect Technique to the Neretva river valley of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to reduce insecticide use in citrus orchards and facilitate fresh fruit
exports. Read More »
Publication of Chinese translation of FAO/IAEA textbook on the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT).
The book "Sterile Insect Technique, Principles and practice in area-wide integrated pest management" provides a wealth of information and reference materials never before available in one volume.The publication of the new
translated version was carried out with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and co-funded by the Government of the People's Republic of China. Read More »
Successful IAEA Project in the Field of Insect Pest Control.
IAEA/FAO has been effectively supporting the fruit industry in South Africa by expanding the integration of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) from the Mediterranean fruit fly on grapes to the environment-friendly management of other major insect pests such as the False Codling Moth on citrus and other crops, and the
Codling Moth on apples and pears. Full Story »