Ulli Kuhlmann¹ & Stefan Vidal^2
1 CABI Bioscience Centre, Rue des Grillons 1, CH-2800 Delemont, Switzerland
² Institut for Plant Pathology and Plant Protection, Section Agricultural Entomology, Grisebachstrasse 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany

Several European partners are currently trying to achieve a research program funded by the EU entitled "The threat to maize production in the EU by the invasive quarantine pest, Western Corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera): a new sustainable crop management approach". DIABROTICA is an R&D project that will assess the possibilities for control of the invasive quarantine insect pest in Europe by using a multidisciplinary sustainable crop management approach. The rationale of this project is to facilitate the development of a sustainable, biologically-based agricultural maize production system, in support of EU community policy objectives to develop a cost effective, safe and environmentally friendly plant protection management program and to reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

Specific objectives of the DIABROTICA program will be:

1. To compare different WCR populations of Europe and the USA by using PCRmethods to assess the genetic variability with regard to host plant preferences and possibilities to use other crop plants as a food source
2. To investigate the role of primary metabolites on the egg laying behavior of WCR females (preference)
3. To assess the relationship between adult preferences and larval development (performance)
4. To determine the influence of new maize cultivars, specifically genetically modified strains (GMOs) for their impact on WCR population dynamics.
5. To assess the impact of different crop rotation systems on the population dynamics of WCR
6. To investigate potential containment methods using new trapping tools and crop management practices
7. To evaluate naturally occurring plants for their potential as food resources for WCR
8. To identify the diversity of natural enemies in Europe and also in the area of origin, Central America, which could act as natural regulating agents on WCR populations
9. To test host specificity of natural enemies from the area of origin prior to importation into Europe; this is necessary to predict their potential field host range and potential non-target risks
10. To evaluate the possibilities of biotechnical control of WCR by means of mating disruption technique by employing pheromones and kairomones
11. To assess the rate of dispersal and potential risk of establishment by WCR in Europe with and without containment measures
12. To model a cost/benefit analysis of the use of containment measures which will be used to develop a guideline for decision making processes within the EU