Building a Genomics Toolbox For The "Billion Dollar Bug" Western Corn Rootworm

Western Corn Rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, has earned the moniker “the billion-dollar bug.” The estimated annual costs associated with crop yield loss and control measures due to this pest easily exceeds a billion dollars and affects approximately 50 million acres of US corn production. Control measures include foliar- or soil-applied insecticides, crop rotation to soybeans or other non-host crops and the use of Bt-trait seeds. Historically, western corn rootworm has developed tolerance to specific insecticides and to crop rotation. Recent reports suggest the insect may be developing tolerance to Bt-trait maize varieties. In order to understand the molecular genetic basis for WCR tolerance to control strategies, we are using high throughput sequencing to develop genomics tool including a draft genome sequence, transcriptome, and SNP markers to characterize susceptible and tolerant populations of insects. I will describe the progress on and challenges associated with creating genomics tools for a beetle with a large, highly-heterozygous and repeat-rich genome.