Proving efficiency of virus-infected insect-pathogenic fungi as an environmentally-friendly viable alternative to chemical insecticides

Chemical insecticides are used in agriculture and horticulture worldwide, greatly impacting the biodiversity of the local environment. With demand for food increasing annually, the development of an environmentally friendly pest control agent would be of international significance. Insect-pathogenic fungi are already used in many commercially available bio-insecticides.This feasibility study will help determine whether they have the potential to provide a viable alternative to pest control in their own right, with little or no environmental impact.Led by Dr Robert Coutts, Research Fellow in Biological and Environmental Sciences, this project will take his initial research into a worldwide collection of B. bassiana into full pilot, assessing the effect of the mycoviruses on their host, directly comparing the efficacy of virus-infected and virus-free strains in terms of their growth in solid and liquid culture. Their virulence will then be assessed by directly infecting live insects.