26 POTATO GROWER | MAY 2018
Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In Diggin' In
Diggin' In
COLORADO POTATO BEETLE | By Eric Hamilton,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Colorado potato beetle genome gives insight into major agricultural pest
Deep Dive
The Colorado potato beetle is notorious for its role in starting the
pesticide industry—and for its ability to resist the insecticides
developed to stop it.
Managing the beetle costs tens of millions of dollars every year, but
this is a welcome alternative to the billions of dollars in damage it
could cause if left unchecked.
To better understand this tenacious pest, a team of scientists led
by University of Wisconsin–Madison entomologist Sean Schoville
sequenced the beetle's genome, probing its genes for clues to its
surprising adaptability to new environments and insecticides. The
new information sheds light on how this insect jumps to new plant
hosts and handles toxins, and it will help researchers explore more
ways to control the beetle.
Photo by Ben Pélissié
Mid-century German educational and
propaganda posters warned about the
kartoffelkäfer—potato beetle—and tried
to pin the invasion on Americans. Poster
images courtesy of Andrei Alyokhin
