A biological alternative to chemical pesticides to control corn earworm in Hawaii

PROJECT SUMMARYThe seed corn industry in Hawaii is the largest agricultural industry in the state. At $151M (2016figures) it represents 25% of the State's sector GDP. The islands' tropical climate allows for year- round corn breeding and propagation practices. The constant presence of corn in Hawaii supportsmore than a dozen flights of corn earworm (CEW) per year making Helicoverpa zea a moresignificant problem (The Problem) relative to cooler climates. The result of months ofcommunications with Hawaii's seed industry the proposed STTR Phase I collaboration betweenLepidext and University of Hawaii Manoa is to develop a viable bio-based corn earworm controlmethod that will suppress CEW population and complement current and potentially futureIntegrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies of the industry.Lepidext is developing novel naturally occurring biopesticides to decrease insect populations.HzTM Lepidext's first biopesticide (The Solution) Insterusis a sexually transmitted virus thatsterilizes adult moths suppressing CEW infestations and reducing subsequent generations.HzTM Insterus is a patented strain of the sterilizing entomopathogen HzNV2 (Helicoverpa zeanudivirus 2) with markedly increased sterilizing efficiency relative to the wild-type virus.Hz The purpose of this Phase I STTR project is to prove feasibility of Insterus as a powerful toolto reduce H zea infestations to below kernel damage thresholds in seed corn production systems.Two objectives are proposed for Phase I: to develop low input methods for continuous andHz synchronous production and delivery of Insterus moths for use in Hawaii (Objective 1); and toHz evaluate the use of Insterus to reduce H. zea infestations in Foundation and Breeding seed cornfield plots and refine application models for its delivery (Objective 2). A successful Phase 2 projectwould develop the approaches and help to define the complementary technologies required tosuppress CEW population levels lowering the need for chemical controls in Phase 3.Lepidext Inc was founded in 2015 after we developed a highly effective CEW sterilizing virusHzâ„¢ strain which was patented and trademarked as Insterus (Insect sterilizing virus). CEW is nativeto the Americas but has become a major global pest including its unintentional introduction toHzâ„¢ Hawaii. Insterus is designed to prevent pest damage by sterilizing moths to prevent caterpillarsHzâ„¢ rather than targeting caterpillars in the field. The optimal use case for Insterus may beinHzâ„¢ conjunction with existing methods for pest control. Insterus has a potential total addressablemarket of $12B estimated by the annual acreage planted with corn cotton and soybeans in theAmericas that are currently threatened by the pest.