SBIR Phase I: Combining Fungal Metabolites and Fungal Insect Pathogens for Cost Effective Control of Bark Beetles in Forestry

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将建立增强真菌生物杀虫剂的概念验证，以控制重要的林业害虫小蠹。虽然研究表明真菌昆虫病原体作为小蠹生物杀虫剂的潜力，但尚未开发出商业产品。 成虫暴露时间短，幼虫难以接近，在不可逆转的树木损害之前杀死的时间有限，这使得控制困难。克服这些障碍的创新来自于对甲虫和真菌之间复杂相互作用的理解。 第一阶段将建立技术，经济和监管的可行性相结合的真菌病原体与真菌代谢产物，抑制甲虫钻行为。 抑制钻孔将通过增加甲虫暴露于真菌病原体孢子的时间来增加功效。研究将确定真菌病原体的基线效力;确定作为无聊威慑物的真菌代谢物;确定选定代谢物的商业规模生产工艺;并评估监管要求。本研究的更广泛/商业影响是一种具有成本效益的，安全和环保的生物具有巨大商业潜力杀虫剂，可取代目前用于保护高价值树木的化学杀虫剂，并扩大控制战略，杀虫剂太昂贵或受到环境影响的限制。 气候变化加剧了山地松甲虫（MPB）的爆发，破坏了美国西部和加拿大的松树林，严重影响了经济和娱乐价值。开发商业产品所需的时间和成本是有利的，因为MMP将联合收割机钻孔抑制剂与EPA批准的、可商购的真菌菌株组合，所述真菌菌株具有对MPB的证明的致病性。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will establish proof of concept for enhancing fungal bioinsecticide to control bark beetles, important forestry pests. Although research shows potential of fungal insect pathogens as bark beetle bioinsecticides, no commercial products have been developed. The short exposure time of adults, inaccessibility of larvae, and limited time to kill before irreversible tree damage makes control difficult. Innovation to overcome these barriers comes from understanding complex interactions between beetles and fungi. Phase 1 will establish technical, economic, and regulatory feasibility of combining fungal pathogens with fungal metabolites that inhibit beetle boring behavior. Inhibiting boring would increase efficacy by increasing exposure time of beetles to fungal pathogen spores. Research will define baseline efficacy of the fungal pathogen; identify fungal metabolites that act as boring deterrents; determine commercially scalable production process for selected metabolites; and assess regulatory requirements.The broader/commercial impacts of this research are a cost effective, safe and environmentally benign bio-insecticide with substantial commercial potential to replace chemical insecticides now used to protect high value trees and to expand control strategies where chemical insecticides are too expensive or limited by environmental impact. A climate change exacerbated outbreak of mountain pine beetle (MPB) is devastating western United States and Canadian pine forests, severely impacting to economic and recreational value. The time and cost required to develop a commercial product is favorable as MMP will combine boring inhibitors with an EPA approved, commercially available fungal strain with demonstrated pathogenicity to MPB.