www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China

Scientists unravel locust plagues for pest control

By LI MENGHAN | China Daily | Updated: 2025-07-01 00:00
Share
Share - WeChat

Chinese scientists have identified the driving force behind the destructive swarming behavior of locusts, a discovery that could revolutionize pest control with more environmentally friendly methods. The research, published last week in the journal Nature, details the biosynthesis mechanism of 4-vinylanisole, or 4VA, the pheromone that drives locust aggregation.

Locust plagues pose a significant threat to global agriculture, economies and the environment. Current control methods rely heavily on chemical pesticides, but these pose a threat to food safety and raise concerns about biodiversity loss, environmental pollution and human health.

Researchers from the Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University have found a solution to this long-standing problem. They have pinpointed the pathway and crucial enzymes involved in 4VA production and demonstrated how to control its synthesis.

"Locusts are gregarious insects, typically living dispersed at low densities," said Kang Le, a corresponding author of the study and a researcher at the Institute of Zoology. "But when their population density reaches a certain threshold, they transition to aggregate. This triggers their ability to migrate in search of food, often leading to large-scale and uncontrollable plagues."

The aggregative behavior is mediated by the 4VA pheromone, which acts as a signal to other locusts. Surprisingly, the study found that locusts do not independently produce this pheromone. Instead, its biosynthesis begins with phenylalanine, a common amino acid found in plants. This precursor then undergoes a complex and rapid process catalyzed by two key enzymes, 4VPMT1 and 4VPMT2.

"Based on this mechanism, we developed effective small-molecule inhibitors that target and bind to the enzymes' active sites at a faster speed, curbing the final catalytic step and preventing 4VA production," Kang explained, likening the inhibitors to an "intelligent switch" for aggregation.

Some inhibitors, such as 4NP, have shown competitive binding to the enzymes and proven nontoxic in lab experiments conducted on mice and bees. These findings, alongside the potential use of biological methods such as fungi, suggest a promising future for pest control.

Kang said this was a significant milestone, marking the first time researchers worldwide have mapped an insect pheromone synthesis pathway. The breakthrough not only advances the understanding of insect biology, but also sets the stage for effective, sustainable and intelligent pest control strategies.

The researchers also envision using 4VA as a lure to draw locusts to specific areas, enabling targeted pesticide spraying and extermination during outbreaks. This approach would limit the use of pesticides and reduce environmental impact. Moreover, 4VA can be instrumental in field population monitoring, providing early warnings of plagues by detecting abnormal increases in locust numbers.

Kang also discussed altering the odorant receptor of locusts to detect 4VA, aiming to control their tendency to aggregate. Modified strains developed in the lab could be released into the wild, where they would interbreed with native locusts, influencing the gregarious and migratory traits of their offspring. Under these circumstances, locusts would no longer pose a threat as pests but could instead contribute to ecosystem balance.

Walter Leal, president of the International Congress of Entomology and a distinguished professor at the University of California-Davis's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, praised the research, describing it as an "excellent paper".

"It will become a textbook example in chemical ecology," Leal wrote in an email to Kang. "Also, I noticed that the authorship is 100 percent 'made in China.'"

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 一道精品视频一区二区三区图片 | 性色a| 欧美手机手机在线视频一区 | 中文毛片| 欧美精品束缚一区二区三区 | 在线观看国产欧美 | 国产精品久久久久久搜索 | 在线毛片免费 | 成人毛片在线 | wwwxx在线| 午夜在线观看视频免费 成人 | 91探花福利精品国产自产在线 | 国产短裙黑色丝袜在线观看下 | 盗摄偷拍a在线观看 | 韩国毛片一级 | 欧美一级毛片怡红院 | 一级待一黄aaa大片在线还看 | 国产精品吹潮在线播放 | 久久亚洲精品中文字幕二区 | 国产玖玖视频 | 成人久久18免费网站游戏 | 亚洲国产精品a一区二区三区 | 日本午夜三级 | 日本一级特黄a大片 | 欧美aaa级 | 男操美女 | 亚洲高清视频在线播放 | 国产福利一区二区在线精品 | 午夜影院0606 | 女人张开腿让男人桶视频 | 欧美激情精品久久久久 | 日本视频在线观看不卡高清免费 | 国产精品日韩一区二区三区 | 一区二区三区在线播放 | 欧美另类videosgrstv变态 欧美另类高清xxxxx | 奇米第四狠狠777高清秒播 | 一区二区三区在线 | 网站 | 亚洲国产欧美在线人成 | 日韩午夜精品 | 国产高清在线视频 | 成人影院vs一区二区 |