|
Items in cart [4] |
Questions? Call 888-624-8373 |
| ||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2009. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Statement |
Below are the first 10 and last 10 pages of uncorrected machine-read text (when available) of this chapter, followed by the top 30 algorithmically extracted key phrases from the chapter as a whole.
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter.
Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 80
OCR for page 81
EDWARD F. KNIPLING
March 20, I 909-March I 7, 2000
BY PERRY ADKISSON AND JAMES TUMLINSON
EDWARD F. KNIPEING, RETIRED U.S. Department of Agricul
ture entomologist en c! administrator slier! on March 17,
2000, in Arlington, Virginia, at the age of 91. He was best
known for cleveloping the sterile insect technique, which
was the principal technology used to eradicate the screw-
worm fly from North America.
Often callecl "Knip" by his friends en cl colleagues, he
was born in Port Lavaca, Texas, on March 20, 1909, en c!
grew up on his parents' small farm. His ciacl assigned many
chores to him on the farm, one being the oclious task of
doctoring baby calves that hac! screwworms burrowing in
their navels en cl wounds. Another was picking cotton by
hand in boll-weevil-ravagecl fielcis. From this experience young
Knipling developed an interest in entomology and later said
that he cleciclecl at an early age he wan tell to make a greater
contribution to agriculture than treating screwworm-infestecl
calves or pulling a sack down a cotton row. Thus, after
leaving the insect-laclen farming area of the Texas gulf coast
he decided that entomology was the logical field for him to
enter.
After graduating from high school Knip enrolled at Texas
A&M College (now Texas A&M University), where he was
81
OCR for page 82
82
B I O G RA P H I C A L
EMOIRS
awarclec! bachelor en c! master of science degrees in ento-
mology in 1930 en cl 1932, respectively. In 1947 he was awarclecl
a Ph.D. in entomology from Iowa State University.
Knip's career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) began in 1930 as a fielcl aicl in the former Bureau
of Entomology en cl Plant Quarantine, where he assisted in
field! studies in Mexico on the pink bollworm. In 1931 he
was appointed a junior entomologist to concluct research at
MenarcI, Texas, on the biology en cl control of the screw-
worm. The screwworm is a subtropical fly that lays its eggs
in the open wounds of warm-blooclecl animals. The flesh-
eating larvae or maggots cause suffering, cleath, en cl untoIcl
economic Tosses in cattle, other livestock, wiTcIlife, en c! even
humans. In his screwworm research assignment Knipling's
talents as a scientist became obvious, as clicl his keen intel-
lect for looking at oic! problems in a new way. By 1937 he
hacl teamed with a young colleague, R. C. BushIancI, to
stucly the mating habits of screwworm flies. Observing that
mate flies mater! repeatecITy while female flies mater! only
once in their lifetime, Knip believecl they hacl founcl a weak
link in the screwworm's life cycle that might be exploitecl
for control. The question was: "How?" This was a question
Knip pondered for several years before finding the answer.
Knip's research in Texas on screwworms was interrupted
intermittently when he was assignee! to concluct research
on other pest problems of livestock in Illinois, Iowa, en cl
Georgia. In 1940 he was placecl in charge of research on
mosquitoes of the northwestern states with headquarters in
PortIancI, Oregon.
During World War II Knip was given the important as-
signment of devising better ways for controlling the arthro-
pocl vectors (flies, mosquitoes, lice, en cl other biting in-
sects) of human diseases affecting our troops. He was macle
director of the USDA research laboratory at Orlando, Florida,
OCR for page 83
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 83
where he lee! the clevelopment of DDT en c! other insecti-
cicles en cl repellents for use by our armecl forces en cl allies
to control the vectors of malaria, typhus, plague, en cl other
arthropocI-vectorec! diseases that hac! exacter! a tremendous
toll on troops in previous wars. The laboratory was success-
ful in its mission to clevelop effective control measures of
the disease vectors, thus preventing infection, illness, en c!
cleath of thousands of service personnel across the worIcI.
The research concluctecl at the OrIanclo laboratory received
national en c! international recognition. Many of the repel-
lents en cl methods of control for the arthropod vectors of
some of the most serious human diseases are still being
user! throughout the woric! tociay.
During this period Knip continual to think about the
screwworm problem. With imagination en cl innovation he
conceiver! the iclea of using sterile insects for population
suppression en cl eradication. He reasoned that if male flies
couIcl be proclucecl in large numbers, sterilizecI, en cl re-
leasec! into the environment they might out-compete, on a
simple probability basis, the wild fertile males in breeding
with females. Because female screwworms mate only once,
those that were brec! with sterile mates wouic! lay infertile
eggs en cl thus not produce any progeny. Knip reasoned
that if a sufficient number of sterile males couIcl be re-
leasec! into the wiTc! population they wouic! essentially over-
whelm and breed the screwworm population into extinc-
tion. Knip was consumed by this iclea and soon began
cleveloping simple mathematical moclels of the population
dynamics of the screwworm fly. These moclels convinced
him that the sterile insect concept shouIcl work according
to laws of probability if methods conic! be clevelopec! for
sterilizing the males en cl mass rearing the flies in sufficient
numbers to out-compete the fertile males when releasecl
into the fielcI.
. .
OCR for page 84
84
B I O G RA P H I C A L
EMOIRS
In 1946 Knip was placer! in charge of all USDA research
on insects affecting livestock, man, househoIcis, en cl stored
products en cl was transferred to headquarters in Washing-
ton, D.C. From this position he encourages! Bushianc! who
was still in Texas to pursue this line of research with the
screwworm fly. They maintained frequent communication
to exchange icleas en c! discuss new research approaches to
the problem.
In the January 1950 issue of American Scientist Profes-
sor H. l. Muller of Indiana University in Bloomington re-
portecl that fruit flies couIcl be sterilizecl by exposure to X
rays. This report excited Knipling en cl BushIancl en cl they
cleciclec! to try this procedure on screwworm flies, however,
BushIancl's laboratory clicl not have the neeclecl equipment,
en cl funcis were not available to purchase what was neeclecI.
Not being one to give up, Bushianc! smuggler! insects into
the X-ray laboratory of an army hospital in San Antonio,
where he was a friend with some of the staff members.
There he was able to use their equipment on clays when the
unit was not busy. He tested various dosages of X rays on
the aclult, larval, en cl pupal stages of the screwworm. He
cliscoverec! that screwworm flies subjected! to an appropr~-
ate dosage of X rays in the pupal stage not only survivecl
but also emerged into healthy aclults that were sexually sterile.
Cage studies using both sterile en c! normal flies in various
ratios confirmed the theory that reproduction of the screw-
worm couIcl be inhibited at levels consistent with the math-
ematical probability moclels.
Part of the problem was solvecI. There was a way to sexu-
ally sterilize the screwworm without any serious adverse af-
fect on their health or their ability to compete with wiTc!
males in mating with females. The other parts of the prob-
lem were: "How clo you mass rear large numbers of screw-
worm flies en c! how many will be neeclec! to suppress a field!
.
OCR for page 85
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 85
population over a large area?" Bushianc! was given the prob-
lem of cleveloping methods for mass rearing the insects en cl
improving the sterilization technology, while Knipling con-
tinucc! working on mathematical moclels to answer the ques-
tion of how many flies wouIcl be neeclecl to obtain success
with sterile male releases.
In 1954 Knip was given the opportunity to test his theo-
ries when the Dutch government askocl the USDA for help
in controlling screwworms that were clecimating the goat
en c! ciairy calf populations on the island! of Curacao off the
coast of Venezuela. From a rearing facility in Floricia 170,000
flies a week were proclucecI, sterilizecl with a gamma raclia-
tion source, en c! transporter! to en c! releaser! across the is-
lancI. Very soon the number of wilcl flies in the population
was reduced, after several months and about three fly gen-
erations the population was eraclicatec! from the isTancI, which
has remained free of infestation since 1954.
This successful demonstration that the sterile insect re-
lease methoc! conic! be user! to eradicate insect pest popula-
tions not only excited Knipling en cl BushIancl but also gave
their work great impetus as it excited the livestock procluc-
ers in screwworm-infestec! areas of the Uniter! States.
.
During the late 1950s a much larger en cl more clifficult
test of the sterile insect release technique was macle. Live-
stock producers in Floricia gainer! support of fecleral en c!
state agencies to concluct an eradication program in their
state. By 1959 the screwworm was eraclicatecl from Floricia
and all of the southeastern United States.
This success led livestock producers in Texas and Okla-
homa to organize en cl gain support for a similar program.
The producers raiser! a substantial amount of money for
the program en cl were assisted by two prominent Texas ranch-
ers, President Lynclon Johnson en cl Governor Dolph Briscoe
of Texas, in obtaining federal and state funds and technical
OCR for page 86
86
B I O G RA P H I C A L
EMOIRS
assistance. By 1966 the screwworm was eraclicatec! from the
Unitecl States. In 1972 the program was expanclecl to Mexico,
where eradication was achieved in 1991. The program has
since mover! through all of Central America en c! a barrier
zone is now being maintained at the Panama-Colombia bor-
cler.
The eradication of the screwworm from North America
was truly a remarkable achievement, both technically en cl
economically. The benefits to livestock producers through-
out the eradication zone are well over $1 billion per year.
The cumulative benefits over more than 50 years, inclucling
all the economic multipliers, environmental quality, en cl
avoidance of animal en c! human suffering, are too large
en cl staggering to even estimate.
The success of the sterile insect release technique for
eradicating the screwworm fly was the first successful clem-
onstration that a pest species can be eliminatecl from large
geographical areas with appropriate technology. Further-
more, the sterile insect technique is creclitec! as being one
of the most significant peaceful applications of nuclear ra-
cliation for the benefit of mankind. This technique has since
been user! to eradicate en c! control other pests, such as the
Mediterranean en cl other fruit flies in California, Floricia,
en cl other parts of the worIcI. In 1988 it was also cliscoverecl
that the screwworm had been accidentally introduced into
Libya en cl soon thousands of animals were infested. The
greater threat was that the screwworm fly might infest most
of Africa, causing severe Tosses to foot! animals en c! wiTcIlife.
The sterile insect release technique was employocI, en cl the
fly was successfully eradicated from Africa.
From 1953 to 1971 Knip was director of the USDA's
Entomology Research Division, where he was in charge of
all arthropod research concluctecl by the Agricultural Re-
search Service. During this perioc! great advances were macle
OCR for page 87
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 87
in the field of entomology and pest management, attrib-
uted to his vision and leadership in developing and pro-
moting principles and strategies for suppressing insect pests
by such techniques as sterile insect releases, pheromone
traps, biological control agents, and cultural practices, with
a minimal use of insecticides.
During the latter part of his career Knip became con-
vinced that it was also possible to eradicate the boll weevil,
the second scourge of his youth, from the United States.
He was able to gain support for his ideas within the USDA
and with cotton producer groups. A large research project
was mounted in the early 1960s to develop the technology
needed to eradicate the weevil, or at least eliminate it as an
economic pest of cotton in the United States. During the
~960s and ~970s Knipling developed a conceptual frame-
work for an eradication program, using a variety of tech-
niques. His concepts were field tested in Mississippi and
later fine tuned in the cotton fields of Virginia and North
Carolina, where the boll weevil was successfully eradicated
in 1987. Following this, eradication programs were conducted
throughout the southeastern United States. The program
has moved westward across the Cotton Belt, with eradica-
tion efforts currently underway in the mid-south, Texas,
and Oklahoma. Eradication of the boll weevil from the United
States should be accomplished relatively soon. When this is
done, the use of chemical peshc~des on cotton, and the
consequential environmental impact, will be greatly reduced.
After retirement in 1973 and until his death Knipling
remained professionally active, including serving as an un-
paid consultant to the USDA's Agricultural Research Ser-
vice and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,
where he advised on pest management programs. Through-
out his 28 retirement years he continued to publish exten-
sively, and was considered a leading authority on insect
~ ~ . ~ . . ~ ~ ~
OCR for page 88
88
B I O G RA P H I C A L
EMOIRS
population dynamics en c! control. In 1979 he wrote a book
on the basic principles of insect population suppression. In
1992 he wrote another book on insect parasitism from new
perspectives. In these en c! many other publications, as well
~ . ~ .. ..
as In seminars en cl lectures on insect pest management,
Knipling constructively questioned en cl challengecl many
conventional insect control strategies that are baser! on small
areas, farm-to-farm applications, continual heavy reliance
on insecticides, en cl reactive treatments after pest popula-
tions reach high levels en c! damage occurs. He was a strong
proponent of the area-wicle management of pest popula-
tions by a variety of proactive technologies. His primary
theme was to prevent insect pests from reaching damaging
levels by using biological and other nonpesticidal suppres-
sion methods that wouIcl not aciversely impact the environ-
ment en c! nontarget organisms over large geographic ar-
eas.
.
In aciclition to his many professional achievements
Knipling was the patriarch of a large en c! active family that
shared many common interests en cl boncis. His wife of 66
years, Phoebe, was also an Iowa State University Ph.D. graclu-
ate en c! was an accomplishes! educator in the Arlington
County, Virginia, public school system. Together they hacl
5 chilciren, 14 grancichilciren, en cl 9 great-grancichilciren.
Knip's professional interest in entomology en c! nature
In general greatly influenced ciay-to-ciay life en cl activities of
the family. For example. all of their nets were named after
insects, either their common or scientific names: Siamese
cats Anthonomus and Culex were named after the cotton
boll weevil en cl a type of mosquito, respectively.
Knip was an avic! outdoorsman en c! naturalist with a strong
conservation ethic. The family owned several large proper-
ties in the mountain regions of Virginia, West Virginia, and
Vermont. These properties were managed for recreation
OCR for page 89
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 89
en c! timber production. Knip was an accomplishes! archer,
hunter, en cl fisherman. He almost always caught more fish
than anybody else, often self-attributecl to being able to
"think like a fish" en c! outsmart them. He even carver! en c!
pain tell his own fishing lures, making them look like in-
sects, of course. His favorite was a lure that lookocl like a
cicada, he caller! it "Humbug" en c! caught Tots of fish with
it.
In summary, Knipling hacl three main themes in his life:
his family, his profession, en c! his great reverence for na-
ture en cl love of the outdoors. In his roles as a clistinguishecl
scientist en cl administrator Knip significantly acivancecl the
woricl's knowlecige of insect pest management en c! allevi-
atecl some of the most important insect pest problems of
agriculture across the worIcI, in an environmentally sound
manner. The scientific principles en c! strategies he promoter!
en cl clocumentecl are sure to continue to guicle new clevel-
opments in insect population management well into the
future.
We thank Ec~warcl B. Knipling for helpful comments en cl
information and Susan H. Fugate of the National Agricul-
tural Library for assistance in locating and verifying infor-
mation.
SIGNIFICANT HONORS AND DISTINCTIONS
1947 Presidential Medal for Merit
1948 King's Medal for Service in the Cause of Freedom, Great
Britain
1952 President, Entomological Society of America
1966 Membership, National Academy of Sciences
Rockefeller Public Service Award
1967 National Medal of Science
Honorary doctorate, North Dakota State University
OCR for page 90
go
BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
1970 Membership, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Honorary doctorate, Clemson University
1971 President's Award for Distinguished Federal Service
1975 Honorary doctorate, University of Florida
1986 Agricultural Research Service Science Hall of Fame
1991 FAO Medal for Agricultural Science
1992 World Food Prize
1995 Japan Prize
1996 Honorary doctorate, Texas A&M University
OCR for page 91
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 91
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
1949
Insect control investigations of the Orlando, Fla., laboratory during
World War II. Smithsonian Annual Report for 1948. Publication
3968, pp. 331-48.
1955
Possibilities of insect control or eradication through the use of sexually
sterile males. 7. Econ. Entomol. 48~4~:459-62.
1957
Control of screw-worm eradication fly by atomic radiation. Sci. Mon.
85 (4~: 195-202.
1959
Screw-worm eradication: Concepts and research leading to the ster-
ile male method. Smithsonian Annual Report for 1958. Publica-
tion 4365, pp. 409-18.
Sterile-male method of population control. Science 130~3380~:415-
20.
1960
Use of insects for their own destruction. 7. Econ. Entomol. 53~3~:415-
20.
Plans for a comprehensive research program on the boll weevil.
Summary-Proceedings: The Cotton Gin and Oil Mill Press 61 (2) :43-
44.
The eradication of the screw-worm fly. Sci. Am. 103~4~:54-61.
1962
With L. E. LaChance. Control of populations through genetic ma-
nipulations. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 55 (5 ~ :515-20.
1963
A new era in pest control: The sterility principle. Agric. Sci. Rev.
1~1~:2-12.
OCR for page 92
92
B I O G RA P H I C A L
EMOIRS
Opportunities for the development of specific methods of insect
control. Proceedings of the XVI International Congress of Zoology 7:14-
26.
1966
Some basic principles in insect population suppression. Bull. Entomol.
Soc. Am. 12~1~:7-15.
1968
With T. U. McGuire. Population models to appraise the limitations
and potentialities of Trichogramma in managing host insect popu-
lations. TB-1387. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Technically feasible approaches to boll weevil eradication. Summary
Proceedings. 1968 Beltwide Cotton Production Mechanization
Conference, pp. 14-18.
1969
Concept and value of eradication or continuous suppression of in-
sect populations. IAEA/FAD panel meeting, sterile-male tech-
nique for eradication or control of harmful insects. Vienna, Aus-
tria, pp. 19-32.
1970
Suppression of pest Lepidoptera by releasing partially sterile males-
A theoretical appraisal. Bioscience, April 15, pp. 495-70.
1972
Use of population models to appraise the role of larval parasites in
suppressing Heliothis populations. Technical Bulletin 1434. U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Sterilization and other genetic techniques. In Proceedings, Symposium
of Pest Control: Strategies for the Future. Washington, D.C.: National
Academy of Sciences.
Entomology and the management of man's environment. 7. Aust.
Entomol. Soc. 2:153-67.
1979
The basic principles of insect population suppression and manage-
ment. ESA Agriculture Handbook No. 512. U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
OCR for page 93
EDWARD F. KNIPLING 93
1983
With E. A. Stadelbacher. The rationale for areawide management
of Heliothis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations. Bull. Entomol.
Soc. Am. 29 (4) :29-37.
1984
With R. L. Ridgeway, E. P. Lloyd, and W. H. Cross. Analysis of
technology available for eradication of the boll weevil. Agricul-
tural Handbook No. 589, pp. 409-435. U.S. Department of Agri-
culture.
1 985
Sterile insect technique for screwworm suppression The concept
and its development. ESA Miscellaneous Publication No. 62, pp.
4-7. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
1992
Principles of insect parasitism analyzed from new perspectives: Practical
implications for regulating insect populations by biological means.
Agricultural Research Service Handbook No. 693. U.S. Depart-
ment of Agriculture.
1998
Sterile insect and parasite augmentation techniques: Unexploited
solutions for many insect problems. Fla. Entomol. 81~1~:134-60.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
boll weevil
