New Biopesticides for Controlling Plant Pests (RESERVED)
Areas
Biotechnology, Food and agriculture
Fields of use
Crop protection
Current state of technology
Laboratory tested
Intellectual property
International patent application: WO2019/063101
Developed by
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical faculty and Agricultural Institute of Slovenia
Reference
821-5/2017
Contact
Gabriela Droga Mazovec
Tel: +386 70 538 284
E-mail: gospodarstvo@uni-lj.si
Download PDF
- TO-New-Biopesticides_EN.pdf (pdf, 568 KB)
Background
Colorado potato beetle (CPB; Leptinotarsa decemlineata) and Western root cornworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) have the biggest economic impact and cause enormous damage to potatoes and maize crops. Current methods for controlling CPB and WCR mostly include chemical pesticides. WCR is also controlled by genetically modified maize that expresses Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt-maize), or by agronomic practices, such as crop rotation. All these practices are currently facing serious problems, due to constant evolution of resistance. The search for alternative biopesticides is therefore of the utmost importance.
Description of invention
The invention relates to the use of cytolytic bi-component protein complexes deriving from the fungal genus Pleurotus for controlling CPB and WCR. These complexes have been shown to be selectively toxic for the aforementioned, agricultural pest insects.
Main advantages
- Can be used when currently available biopesticides are no longer active,
- the chances of evolving resistance should be minute,
- human and environmentally friendly.