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Kiwi biological controls set for world domination
Kiwi biological controls set for world domination
By Peter Kerr for sticK
(sticK - Nov. 4 2010 )
When he set
out to produce a biologically-based pesticide, Pukekohe
plant pathologist Stephen Ford advertised and asked the
general public to send in dead insects that were covered in
fungus or had died for no apparent reason.
From literally thousands of insects sent to Greentide Ltd., Ford initially selected 105 fungal strains, and settled on six.
“We had to put in place robust screening practices, with the number one criteria to be no human toxicity,” Ford says. “They also had to be physiologically dormant or dead at 37 degrees – we didn’t want them having the ability to grow in peoples’ lungs.”
Ford said that these entomophathogens fungi, (entomopathogens may also include bacteria, viruses and nematodes) had to pass five critical processes before being considered as a biological candidate.
This kicked off his research 12 years ago, but it took until 2006 before Ford came up with a stable formulation that could be used in New Zealand’s main vegetable-growing region of Pukekohe and which he considered would be the control equivalent of chemical pesticides.
It bombed; again indicating to growers that while biological controls may be good in theory, they were still failing in practice. “It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life,” he says.
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Peter Kerr
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