Genetic engineering, integrated pest management and the evolution of pests.

It is well known that pest populations can evolve resistance to pesticides. The bollworm complex (Heliothis spp.), which attacks cotton plants, is a particularly good example of a highly adaptable pest. To achieve long-term success, genetic engineering projects for the production of 'insecticidal' crop plants, including cotton, need to take account of the adaptive potential of pests. Using the bollworm complex as a model, it is possible to show how an integrated approach to pest management, involving genetic engineers, evolutionary biologists and ecologists, could lead to the development of safe and effective transgenic cultivars.