16AGRITECHCAT5: A Novel Biopesticide Formulation Technology for Major Lepidopteran Crop Pests

16AGRITECHCAT5：针对主要鳞翅目作物害虫的新型生物农药配制技术

• 批准号: BB/P004970/1
• 负责人: Kenneth Wilson
• 金额: $ 11.38万
• 依托单位: Lancaster University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FP004970%2F1
• 关键词: 16AGRITECHCAT5; Novel; Biopesticide; Formulation; Technology

Increasing environmental concerns and the legislation that arises from these is currently seriously restricting the use of chemical pesticides in Europe and globally, thus creating an urgent need for safe new, effective, but environmentally-acceptable, alternatives for agricultural producers. One promising alternative approach for protecting crops against insect pests is the use of biological control agents or biopesticides, including products based on the natural infectious diseases of insects. These are environmentally-friendly because they are affect only target pests and are safe to humans, livestock and beneficial insects such as pollinators. However, existing formulations of biopesticides have a number of significant shortcomings. Specifically the shorter shelf life of biopesticides than conventional pesticides and most importantly shorter persistence once applied to crops. The shorter crop persistence is mainly a result of the shorter UV stability of biopesticides. These constraints severely limit current usefulness of otherwise highly pathogenic insect disease agents which mean that they are not as commonly used as most chemical pesticides.This project aims to develop an innovative approach to improve the shelf-life, field-persistence, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of viral biopesticides against the moth caterpillars that damage crops. It will build on tried-and-tested Entostat technology to better protect the biopesticide whilst in storage or on the crop, whilst improving its capacity to kill pest insects. Proof of concept work has already shown that Entostat encapsulation does not interfere with virus infectivity and are thus compatible with these biopesticides. In addition, the project will determine if co-formulating specific UV-blockers with the Entostat waxes, so that they are bound around active particles, will improve the biopesticides UV stability, substantially extending persistence in the field and increasing intervals between applications. This technology although being developed for insect virus biopesticides, could have applications for other groups of biopesticides such as bacterial products which are currently the most widely used group of biopesticides. These innovations could lower the costs of pest control using biopesticides and substantially increase product attractiveness to users revolutionising the crop protection landscape.

日益增加的环境问题和由此产生的立法目前严重限制了化学农药在欧洲和全球的使用，因此迫切需要为农业生产者提供安全、有效、但环境可接受的新替代品。保护作物免受虫害的一种有希望的替代方法是使用生物防治剂或生物农药，包括基于昆虫自然传染病的产品。这些是环境友好的，因为它们只影响目标害虫，对人类，牲畜和有益昆虫如传粉者是安全的。然而，现有的生物农药制剂具有许多显著的缺点。特别是生物农药的保质期比常规农药短，最重要的是，一旦施用于作物，其持久性更短。较短的作物持久性主要是生物农药较短的紫外线稳定性的结果。这些限制严重限制了目前高致病性昆虫病原体的用途，这意味着它们不像大多数化学杀虫剂那样常用。本项目旨在开发一种创新方法，以提高病毒生物杀虫剂对损害作物的蛾毛虫的保质期、田间持久性、功效和成本效益。它将建立在久经考验的Entostat技术的基础上，以更好地保护生物农药，同时提高其杀死害虫的能力。概念验证工作已经表明，Entostat包封不会干扰病毒感染性，因此与这些生物农药相容。此外，该项目还将确定与Entostat蜡共同配制特定的紫外线阻断剂，使其结合在活性颗粒周围，是否会提高生物农药的紫外线稳定性，大大延长田间持久性并增加施用间隔。该技术虽然是针对昆虫病毒生物农药开发的，但也可应用于其他生物农药组，如目前使用最广泛的生物农药组细菌产品。这些创新可以降低使用生物农药进行害虫控制的成本，并大幅提高产品对用户的吸引力，从而彻底改变作物保护领域。