This project aims to provide information that is essential to improving the performance of fungal biopesticides in the field. We're doing this by addressing fundamental questions relevant to the fate and virulence of fungal inoculum following application to soil.

Fungi play an important role in the natural regulation of insect pests. However, attempts to harness this biocontrol potential have met with limited success, and a better understanding of pathogen ecology is needed to allow these microbes to be utilised more effectively.

Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), this project has the following primary objective:

• to apply molecular and applied techniques to examine the fate and dynamics of fungal inoculum in soil.

The effects of biopesticide distribution, nutrient status and growth stage on persistence and virulence in soil is poorly understood. This is compounded by uncertainty as to whether all propagules in a single clonal batch act identically, or show variation in persistence and response to germination cues.

By examining effects of biotic (living) and abiotic (environmental) factors on insect infection and persistence in soil, we will be able to identify those which directly affect efficacy. This information will allow us to develop superior products and strategies to promote the broader utility of these biocontrol agents.

Back to Sustainable Bioprotection homepage.