Adoption of their research in the cotton industry has lead
to 25-fold reduction in pesticide use. Using a combination
of genetic modification, conventional breeding and insect
ecology, they tackled the moth, Helicoverpa armigera,
the most destructive pest of broad-acre crops.
The researchers produced a
suite of cotton varieties containing a protein from
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally occurring soil
bacterium, that is toxic to Helicoverpa larvae but
is safe for humans and the environment and supported this
new technology with a pre-emptive management plan. Now, the
CSIRO Bt cotton varieties represent about 75 per cent of all
the cotton planted in Australia.
The three scientists were
each presented with a silver medal in Melbourne on 26 April
2006.
More information on the Clunies
Ross Foundation and its awards