710432Novel tools for genetic control of pest insects; Oxitec LtdClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKThe aim of this project is to demonstrate a novel application of Oxitec’s genetic technology, called RIDL®, against the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Diamondback moth is the world’s major pest of brassica crops, with annual control costs and losses amounting to US$4- 5 billion. This moth is difficult to control, largely due to its ability to rapidly develop resistance to insecticides; therefore new control tools are urgently required. Genetic technology has enabled the development of an alternative control method, called RIDL, for this pest. fsRIDL insects live as normal with a dietary antidote, but large numbers of single- sex (male) moths can be efficiently produced without it. For control of wild diamondback moth, RIDL males are released over the crop: after mating with wild females all female progeny die, reducing the reproductive capacity of the pest population. RIDL is species- specific in action, and therefore environmentally benign, and also self-limiting in the field and complementary to other control options. RIDL is therefore highly amenable to integration into sustainable integrated pest management strategies. This project will investigate novel genetic methods of inducing female-specific lethality to generate improved RIDL strains, going well beyond the present state of the art for insect synthetic biology. Male selection at as early a life stage as possible will provide considerable savings in insect production, resulting in increased economic feasibility to a broader range of growers, and greater acceptance from growers. Developing a potentially valuable control tool in this major pest would also provide proof-of- principle for a novel means of applying this environmentally sustainable pest control approach to the diamondback moth and other important pest species.