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Hybrid Swarm in Global Mega-Pest
April 6, 2018

Seems there’s a new pest on the horizon and CSIRO is worried.
Their scientists have confirmed the hybridisation of two of the world’s major pest species, into a new and improved mega-pest, and they’re seeking some vigilance to make sure we stay in front of it.
bollworm
The bollworm is commonly found in Australia.
One of the pests, the cotton bollworm, is widespread in Africa, Asia and Europe and causes damage to over 100 crops, including corn, cotton, tomato and soybean.
The bollworm is commonly found in Australia, attacks more crops and develops much more resistance to pesticides than the earworm.
The other pest aming up the Hybrid is the corn earworm, that is a native of the Americas and has comparatively limited resistance and host range.
corn earworm
The corn earworm is a native of the Americas.
However, the combination of the two, in a novel hybrid with unlimited geographical boundaries is cause for major concern.
CSIRO’s Biosecurity Risk Evaluation and Preparedness Program Dr Paul De Barro says a hybrid such as this could go completely undetected should it invade another country.
“It’s critical that we look beyond our own backyard to help fortify Australia’s defence and response to such biosecurity threats. As Australia’s national science agency, we are constantly looking for new ways to protect the nation and technology like genome sequencing, is helping to tip the scales in our favour.”
The CSIRO researchers in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA provides clear evidence of the hybridisation of the two moths in Brazil.
The scientists confirmed that among the group of caterpillars studied, every individual was a hybrid.
“No two hybrids were the same suggesting a ‘hybrid swarm’ where multiple versions of different hybrids can be present within one population.”
A concerning finding among the Brazilian hybrids was that one was 51% earworm but included a known resistance gene from the bollworm.