Comment submitted by Lisa DeVetter
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Summary: Lisa Wasko DeVetter, a professor at Washington State University, supports the registration and commercial deployment of the KNOCKOUT-SWD gene-edited technology. She argues that this innovation provides a necessary, targeted method to manage the invasive spotted-wing drosophila pest while reducing the growers' reliance on costly and potentially harmful chemical insecticides.
To Whom it May Concern:
I am a Professor of Horticulture with an affiliate appointment in the Department of Entomology at Washington State University, and I have over 15 years of experience working with the small fruit industry. The arrival of spotted‑wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) in the United States in 2008 has created significant challenges for small fruit (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, etc.) growers. To maintain fruit quality and meet buyer requirements, growers now rely on intensive insecticide programs to manage this invasive pest. These programs also complicate compliance with maximum residue limits (MRLs) in countries where fruit is exported. Furthermore, the introduction of D. suzukii has disrupted integrated pest and pollinator management (IPPM) programs across the small fruit sector, and resistance to both conventional and organically approved insecticides is already being observed. Growers urgently need more tools, not fewer, to effectively manage increasingly difficult insect pests.
The use of KNOCKOUT‑SWD gene‑edited males, which are released to mate with wild‑type females and produce infertile eggs that do not carry the edited genes, represents a highly promising technology. This approach offers a unique and targeted method to suppress D. suzukii populations while reducing reliance on chemical control, which is often expensive, can harm beneficial organisms, and may contribute to secondary pest outbreaks. Continued investment in innovative pest‑management technologies is essential to ensure growers have diverse, effective, and sustainable options to protect crop yields and maintain food production. Agragene’s KNOCKOUT SWD system is a strong example of such innovation.
Continued research and, ultimately, commercial deployment of this technology would provide substantial benefits to growers by improving management of this invasive pest while reducing dependence on costly insecticides that can also harm beneficial organisms.
Lisa W. DeVetter, Professor of Horticulture at WSU