Biologically Based Technologies for Pest Control Page: 56
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56 Biologically Based Technologies for Pest Control
CONTROL 22 x 10' 32 x 10' 54 x Id
L-59-66 CFU ML
COLD STORAGE 30 DAYS
I PEXPANSUM
Development of microbial pesticides for controlling the dis-
eases that cause harvested produce to spoil is an active area of
research. The unblemished fruit have been treated with a micro-
organism that prevents the pears from rotting.
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
A number of other microbe-based approaches
and products are being researched but are not yet
near product development or field use. Scientists
predict that more insect viruses (many already
identified) will become an attractive option as
resistance to conventional pesticides emerges in
common pests. Microbial approaches to Euro-
pean gypsy moth control based on protozoans'"
and fungi are under investigation as ways to help
combat this tenacious pest (41 1,284). Consider-
able research interest continues to center on con-
trol of common plant diseases such as take-all
and root rot diseases of wheat (1 38).
Novel delivery systems for microbial control
agents are also under development. One involves
putting microbial pesticides that work against
plant pathogens into beehives so that bees trans-
port the microbes to the plant (138). Another is
based on modifying the algae food of mosquito
larvae to contain a mosquito poison (85).
Genetic Manipulations of BBTs and Pests
BBTs are based on living organisms and their
products. Consequently, it is not surprising that
efforts to improve BBTs focus to a significantdegree on genetic modifications through breed-
ing, selection, genetic engineering, 1"and other
techniques.
Most microbial pesticides now on the market
were developed through the selection of effica-
cious microbe strains. Many companies involved
in the development of microbial pesticides are
now attempting to alter such features as kill rate,
field persistence, environmental range, and the
number of target pests through genetic engineer-
ing. Mycogen has recently put four products on
the market all based on Cellcap, its genetically
engineered Bt encapsulated within a Pseudomo-
nas fluorescens bacterium (42). Ecogen brought
a genetically engineered Bt on the market in
1995 called Raven (167). Sandoz Corporation
recently conducted field tests of genetically engi-
neered Bt in California and elsewhere in the
country. Efforts to genetically engineer microbial
pesticides are widespread, and they involve most
potential product types, including those affecting
insects (Bt, NPV viruses, and nematodes),
weeds, and plant pathogens (138,191,41 1,420).
The scientific community is divided over the
desirability of this approach. Some researchers
believe that improvement through genetic modi-
fication will be essential for certain types of
microbial pesticides to become widely adopted.
Others express concern that, as microbial pesti-
cides become more equivalent to conventional
pesticides, scientists will engineer out the very
characteristics of target specificity and short field
persistence that make Bt and other current micro-
bial pesticides relatively benign (41 1).
Similar questions divide scientists over ongo-
ing attempts to genetically modify natural ene-
mies. In this research, breeding, selection, or
genetic engineering is being used to enhance the
compatibility of natural enemies with conven-
tional pesticides (152). A less precise version of
this approach is already practiced in the natural
enemy industry; a number of companies collect13 Protozoans are certain single-celled organisms whose internal structure is more like that of cells from higher organisms than bacteria.
14 Genetic engineering refers to recently developed techniques through which genes are isolated in a laboratory, manipulated, and then
inserted stably into another organism. Offspring of the recipient contain the new genes.
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United States. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Biologically Based Technologies for Pest Control, report, September 1995; [Washington D.C.]. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc39770/m1/62/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.