Prospects for the use of transgenic approaches to improve the efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for control of the codling moth Cydia pomonella Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Worldwide agriculture depends on technological innovation to increase yield and maintain high quality of food and fiber products. In the last decade advances in basic insect science and genetic engineering have presented opportunities to develop innovative approaches to control insect pests that could provide significant economic and environmental benefits. In this article I review some recent developments that demonstrate the application of transgenic methods to improve the efficacy of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). These developments provide a technical basis to address some of the operational and economic limitations of the existing SIT program used to control the codling moth Cydia pomonella Linnaeus, and suggest the possibility of an expanded future role for this approach for codling moth control.

► I review potential uses of transgenic approaches to enhance SIT in Cydia pomonella. ► I discuss current strategies used to control C. pomonella. ► I describe limitations of the current C. pomonella SIT program. ► I describe recent advances in insect transgenic technology applied to pest control.