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

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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.