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Protecting a food legume from insects - from the lab to farmers¡¯ fields

Cowpea is the most economically important grain legume in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Pod borer (Maruca vitrata) accounts for yield losses of up to 80% in cowpea in SSA. Farmer yields of cowpea are very low, on the order of 150-300 kg/ha, against a potential yield of 1500-2000 kg/ha. Without the availability of resistant varieties, farmers regularly spray with insecticides 5-8 times a season.  The Pod-Borer Resistant (PBR) Cowpea Project was initiated to control the pod-borer pest using a Bt gene (cry1Ab). Efficacy trials have shown 98-99% reduction in pod and seed damage from the pest in farmer¡¯s fields in Nigeria and Ghana. We have incorporated the cry1Ab gene into farmers¡¯ preferred varieties through conventional breeding. The PBR seed is distributed by local seed companies, currently reaching close to 500,000 farmers.

A second Bt gene (cry2Ab) with a different mode of action is being stacked with the cry 1Ab gene to support a robust insect resistance management strategy. A third gene copied from kidney beans in the early discovery work on seed proteins has been shown to protect against the stored grain pest called cowpea weevil. This gene confers complete protection against the weevil.

BIOGRAPHY

TJ Higgins is an Honorary Fellow at CSIRO Agriculture and Food in Canberra. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and received his PhD from the University of California in Davis. He was a postdoctoral fellow at ÌÇÐÄÊÓƵlogo in RSBS before joining CSIRO.

Higgins has contributed to the global knowledge of gene expression in plants. He has a special interest in seed protein biology, particularly in the way that seed protein genes are regulated. That knowledge has led to the identification of genes for proteins that have a special nutritive value and others that protect plants from certain pests. 

As a plant biotechnologist, he has focused on plant improvement for food security. For example,

his more recent research has been on cowpea, (aka Black Eye Pea). This is a staple food crop for over 200 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides an affordable protein for consumers and an income for cowpea farmers. Cowpea productivity is severely hampered by the legume pod borer (Maruca vitrata). This insect pest can destroy 80% of a farmer¡¯s crop. As a result of his basic seed protein research, the challenge for farmers has been mitigated with the development of a pod borer resistant (PBR) cowpea using genetic engineering. Ongoing work focuses on another insect pest that devastates the cowpea grain during storage.

The first commercial releases for this PBR crop occurred in Nigeria and Ghana. PBR cowpea provides nearly 100% resistance to Maruca, resulting in over 20% yield increases and substantial savings on the costs of chemical insecticides. The PBR seed is distributed by small local seed companies, currently reaching about 500,000 farmers.

Higgins has been recognized for his work with domestic and international awards. These include an AO for contributions to international agriculture. In addition to his scientific work, he has served the scientific community as a spokesperson on GMOs. He has served as a Ministerial Advisor to Government and on several committees of the Australian Academy of Science.