Novel approaches for management of insect pests

Bryony Bonning conducts fundamental and applied research on insect physiology and insect pathology with the goal of developing novel, environmentally benign alternatives to chemical insecticides for insect pest management. Her current research emphasis is on citrus, with a focus on management of Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. Research has included the study of insect hormones and enzymes, insecticidal toxins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, the genetic optimization of insect viruses for pest management, insect virus discovery and the use of viral proteins for development of insect resistant transgenic plants.