>First, if hooks are effectively transferred to corn, maybe you'd like to harvest it. Even if the hooks are not large enough to tear the flesh, acting like Velcro will not help matters. Second, I recall trying to grow a passionflower vine. I had some caterpillars that loved the leaves. There must be a better way.
As I recall (I read the article in 1985 or 1986), the hooks are not as big as those for Velcro. They are also not as closely packed, though close enough to be hard or impossible for an insect to dodge. Thus, I do not think they would cause either of those problems. Passionflowers are a rather diverse group, as are the caterpillars attacking them (a fritillary occurs on the local ones, but heliconid butterflies predominate in the Neotropics, including many that thrive on plant toxins). The hooks had evolved in one particular group of Neotropical passionflowers. As a structural, rather than chemical defense, it seems much harder to outwit. Also, it won't make the pollen toxic. Whether the major pests of corn are suceptible, I do not know.
A similar approach is already used at a small scale. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth over plants is, at the insect scale, equivalent to sprinkling broken glass over the area. As long as you do not inhale it, it is harmless to larger animals.
Biochemical cues are often more species-specific than pesticides. Maybe it would work to engineer spiders to produce pheromones for the pest insects. Fireflies already use this kind of trick. Females of large species will flash the light pattern for a smaller species and eat the male when he comes to investigate. Conversely, if we can determine how the insect recognizes corn as food, perhaps we can make it unappealing to the insect while still tasty to us.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!
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