Scientists gather to reduce impacts of the diamondback moth pest problem

The diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella), sometimes called the cabbage moth, is one of the world’s most difficult insect pests to control. It has spread around the world, and has also developed resistance to many pesticides that were used to control. Global control costs have been estimated at US5 billion. As such, it is the target of much research, in an attempt to find new ways to ensure its effective control.

In response to this, WorldVeg and partners have been working on control methods for many years. And on 2 May 2023, the 9th International Conference on Management of Diamondback Moth and Other Crucifer Insect Pests was held in in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Borarin Buntong (Director of Research and Extension at the Royal University of Agriculture) chaired the opening ceremony, and Marco Wopereis and Yann-rong Lin (WorldVeg) gave the inaugural speeches. These were followed by a brief account of the history of DBM (diamondback moth) conferences by Srinivasan Ramasamy, WorldVeg’s Flagship Program Leader.

The conference gathered 45 dedicated scientists from 18 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and Oceania to present their latest findings on insect-plant interactions, host plant resistance, chemical ecology, biological control, and other non-chemical approaches to managing DBM and related pests, pesticides, insect resistance management, constraints and opportunities to the sustained adoption of integrated pest management, and genetic approaches to managing crucifer pests.

The conference was organized by the World Vegetable Center in collaboration with the Royal University of Agriculture (RUA) in Cambodia, and the Taiwan Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute (TACTRI).

The abstract book is available here

Management of the diamondback moth and other crucifer insect pests (Abstracts) (tind.io)

Srinivasan R, Sotelo-Cardona P, Yule S (eds.). 2023. Book of abstracts: IX International Conference on Management of the Diamondback Moth and other Crucifer Insect Pests. World Vegetable Center, Taiwan. 66 p.