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Threat to potatoes and beets: Prof. Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas, spokesperson for the former LOEWE Center ZIB, warns of new cicada species
Under the heading “Expertinnen und Experten” at Justus Liebig University Giessen, Prof. Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas warns of the spread of the reed glasswing cicada in Germany. This is because the pest is increasingly threatening the cultivation of sugar beet, potatoes, carrots and beet. The cicada transmits bacteria that cause considerable crop losses. Encouraged by climate change, the insect continues to spread. So far, there is no effective crop protection product. Vilcinskas and his team are therefore researching an innovative, sustainable approach: with the help of RNA interference, vital genes of the cicada are to be specifically switched off.
Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas is Professor of Applied Entomology at the Institute of Insect Biotechnology at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU). He is coordinator and head of the Bioresources Department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME) in Giessen and was coordinator and former spokesperson of the LOEWE Centre for Insect Biotechnology ZIB, whose research is being continued at the Fraunhofer IME.