Crop-expressed stink bug pheromones for mating disruption
This technology involves engineering plants to produce the natural pheromones used by two invasive stink bug species—the brown marmorated stink bug and the harlequin stink bug—both of which cause significant agricultural damage. Researchers identified and engineered the specific enzymes responsible for synthesizing these pheromones, then built genetic constructs that allow crop plants to express those enzymes and produce the pheromones themselves. The idea is to give crops a built-in chemical signal that can be used to attract, trap, confuse, or repel the pests without applying external sprays or lures. This is a molecular farming approach where the plant becomes part of the pest management system.
What you could build
A transgenic or gene-edited seed trait licensed to seed companies or biotech ag firms that allows row crops, orchards, or vegetables to emit stink bug pheromones as part of attract-and-kill or mating disruption strategies; primary buyers would be seed trait licensors like Corteva, Bayer Crop Science, or Syngenta, or specialty ag biotech firms focused on IPM.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia is a heavily affected state for brown marmorated stink bug crop damage, and Virginia Tech's agriculture and plant biology programs make this a natural fit for regional ag extension partnerships, fruit and vegetable growers, and any ag biotech presence in the mid-Atlantic.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Dorothea THOLL, JASON LANCASTER
- Granted
- May 5, 2026
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12618081
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.