Ourproject aligns with the priorities of the pests and beneficial species in agricultural production systems program area by focusing on the manipulation of biochemical and genetic interactions that…

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $749,951 to Texas A&M Agrilife Research on December 15, 2025, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program to develop genetically modified cotton lines with altered sterol profiles as a novel pest control strategy targeting plant-feeding insects that depend on sterols from host plants.

The project generates and screens stably transformed CRISPR/Cas9 and RNAi cotton lines with modified sterol profiles; characterizes sterol profiles in leaves and phloem along with whole-plant transcriptomic and phenotypic responses; assesses impacts of modified sterol profiles on three cotton pests—cotton bollworm, cotton aphid, and western tarnished plant bug—as well as effects on a beneficial ladybird beetle; and explores alternative genes in the cotton phytosterol synthesis pathway using novel gene-editing systems. Performance occurs at College Station, Texas, with a period of performance through December 14, 2028.

Canisius University of Buffalo, New York is a sub-recipient on the award, receiving funding through a modification dated April 28, 2026. The research aligns with AFRI's Plant Health and Production priority area and demonstrates an environmentally sustainable pest management approach for a major crop through targeted manipulation of biochemical and genetic plant-insect interactions.

Ourproject aligns with the priorities of the pests and beneficial species in agricultural production systems program area by focusing on the manipulation of biochemical and genetic interactions that affect the abundance of agriculturally important insect plant pests. Plant-feeding insects need sterols from host plants, so targeting this dependency offers a novel and environmentally sustainable pest control strategy. We've previously used rnai to silence the expression of the HYD1 enzyme in the plant sterol biosynthesis pathway, altering sterol production in both arabidopsis and cotton, which significantly hindered pest performance. This project has four key objectives: 1) generate and screen stably transformed crispr/CAS9 and rnai cotton lines with altered sterol profiles; 2) characterize the sterol profiles of leaves and phloem along with analyses of whole plant transcriptomic and phenotypic responses; 3) assess the impact of modified sterol profiles on three key cotton pests – cotton bollworm, cotton aphid, and western tarnished plant BUG – as well as effects on a beneficial ladybird beetle; 4) explore alternative genes in the cotton phytosterol synthesis pathway using a novel gene-editing system. Our research aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of stably transformed plants with modified sterol profiles in controlling key cotton pests, showcasing an innovative approach to pest management in a major crop.