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

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将为加强真菌生物杀虫剂以控制树皮甲虫这一重要林业害虫建立概念验证。尽管研究表明真菌昆虫病原体作为树皮甲虫生物杀虫剂的潜力，但还没有开发出商业产品。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，使控制变得困难。克服这些障碍的创新来自于了解甲虫和真菌之间的复杂相互作用。第一阶段将确定将真菌病原体与抑制甲虫钻探行为的真菌代谢物相结合的技术、经济和监管可行性。通过延长甲虫对真菌病原菌孢子的暴露时间，抑制钻探可以提高药效。研究将确定真菌病原体的基线效力；确定作为枯燥威慑的真菌代谢物；确定选定代谢物的商业可扩展生产过程；并评估监管要求。这项研究的更广泛/商业影响是一种具有成本效益、安全和环境友好的生物杀虫剂，具有巨大的商业潜力，以取代目前用于保护高价值树木的化学杀虫剂，并在化学杀虫剂过于昂贵或受环境影响限制的情况下扩大防治策略。气候变化加剧的山松甲虫(MPB)的暴发正在摧毁美国西部和加拿大的松林，严重影响着经济和娱乐价值。开发商业化产品所需的时间和成本是有利的，因为基质金属氧化物将把枯燥的抑制剂与EPA批准的、商业上可获得的、对MPB具有致病性的真菌菌株结合在一起。

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.