Biotechnology-based pesticides, which aim to control pests without significantly affecting non-target species, are being developed as a promising alternative to traditional chemical treatments. However, before any new pesticide can be widely used, it is crucial to assess any potential unintended environmental impacts.
To address this concern, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is involved in research focused on developing better approaches to assess the ecological risks of these new plant protection technologies. Specifically, the research will look into two types of naturally occurring molecules used in these potential new pesticides:
- siRNAs – These are nucleic acids found in all living organisms. siRNA-based products are designed to switch off specific genes in pests and diseases through a process called RNA interference (RNAi), which leads to adverse effects in the target species.
- Peptides – These are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Peptide-based products disrupt certain physiological processes in pests, leading to toxicity.
While countries like the USA, along with some in South America and Asia, have already adopted biotechnological pesticides, no such products have been approved by European regulators yet. This raises concerns that Europe might miss out on a growing global market for these new products.
The new research will gather data on how these new types of biotech pesticides can behave in the environment, helping to create methods and tools that European chemical regulators will need to make informed decisions on approving these products.
Professor David Spurgeon, an ecotoxicologist from UKCEH, and Dr Helen Hesketh, a pathogen ecologist will lead this work as part of the ENSAFE project, a new programme which is led by the University of Copenhagen and involves Aalborg University. The project is funded by an €8 million grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Dr Hesketh explains: "Although biotechnological pesticides offer a safer environmental alternative to chemicals, we need to develop methods to understand the potential unintended effects.
“By studying real proposed products, our research will explore how animals, plants and humans might be exposed, whether these exposures have negative effects, and which species, if any, are most impacted."