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）第一阶段项目将为加强真菌生物杀虫剂来控制树皮甲虫这一重要的林业害虫建立概念证明。虽然研究表明真菌昆虫病原体有可能作为树皮甲虫的生物杀虫剂，但尚未开发出商业化的产品。成虫暴露时间短，幼虫难以接近，在对树木造成不可逆转的损害之前杀灭的时间有限，这使得防治困难。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、经济和监管可行性，将真菌病原体与真菌代谢物结合起来，抑制甲虫的无聊行为。抑制钻孔可以通过增加甲虫对真菌病原体孢子的暴露时间来提高效果。研究将确定真菌病原体的基线疗效；确定真菌代谢物作为无聊的威慑；确定选定代谢物的商业可扩展生产工艺；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、安全和无害环境的生物杀虫剂，具有巨大的商业潜力，可以取代目前用于保护高价值树木的化学杀虫剂，并扩大化学杀虫剂过于昂贵或受环境影响限制的控制策略。气候变化加剧的山松甲虫（MPB）爆发对美国西部和加拿大松林造成了严重的破坏，严重影响了松林的经济和娱乐价值。开发商业产品所需的时间和成本是有利的，因为MMP将把镗孔抑制剂与EPA批准的商业化真菌菌株结合起来，这些真菌菌株已证明对MPB具有致病性。

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.