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Insects Blinded by Science - Brief Article
Discover, Feb, 2000 by Anna Charny
The eye of a whitefly is a sophisticated ultraviolet scanner, zeroing in on tasty crops. But it can be stymied by a cheap bit of camouflage: a simple layer of polyethylene film. * Yehezkel Antignus, a virologist at Israel's Agricultural Research Organization, stumbled across this countermeasure while studying ways to protect plants from disease.
He was surprised to find that crops grown in greenhouses roofed with ultraviolet-absorbing polyethylene films had significantly fewer insect-borne viruses. Experimental trials confirmed that the films contributed to a steep decline in some of the worst agricultural pests-whiteflies, aphids, and leaf miners, along with their attendant diseases. Antignus infers that polyethylene obscures the ultraviolet markings pests use to find their host plants. * But there are some limitations to the technique. Polyethylene films can confuse bees, too. Antignus has had to adjust the lighting to keep them pollinating. And the films protect only plants grown inside greenhouses. Still, within the sizable world of greenhouse agriculture, farmers have a potent new weapon. Two Israeli companies are now manufacturing insect UV camouflage: Ginegar Plastic Productions makes films, while Meteor Ltd. sells ultraviolet-absorbent mesh.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Discover
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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