BIOTECHNICAL APPROACH TO WEED CONTROL ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS

我们实验室一直在积极研究植物病原体的使用。 用于生物防治杂草。我们已经证明了一种真菌， 核盘菌可以使目标杂草减少80%-90%。 人口(1)。我们也已经能够证明突变的 可获得寄主范围广、数量多的病原菌(核盘菌)。 营养缺陷型和非越冬型，可用于生物防治 特点(2)(3)。最近，我们已经能够产生 来自核盘菌的原生质体(4)，使我们能够使用几个强大的 遗传工具，包括转化和原生质体融合。在这 以生物防治为目的的真菌遗传操作领域 威兹，我们是一个活跃的实验室，有州和联邦(USDA)的资助。我们的 最终目标是提供一种致命的、特定于宿主的系统 这类生防剂的使用将减少对化学除草剂的需求 从而减少这类除草剂对环境的不利影响。在……里面 此外，在蒙大拿州，除草剂很少是最有效的 在牧场和公共林地上，生物防治制剂可能会证明 更具成本效益。 我们的实验室参与了几个MBR和MAP的培训 学生们。我们对少数族裔学生的首要任务是让他们留在学校 学校，这是在严谨学习的指导下完成的 技能。那么我们的方法就是让他们自由选择研究项目 与我们的实验室有关。这包括一些人的实地工作，以及 其他人的实验室微生物学。在所有情况下，学生的生物医学 通过意识到对生物化学和生物化学的需求，扩大了职业选择 一方面，分子技术，以及生物学原理和 应用程序在另一端。此外，我们试图向我们的 学生和对生物防治价值的理解而不是 化学控制，至少对环境问题是这样。

Our laboratory has been active in research on the use of plant pathogens for the biological control of weeds. We have shown that one fungus, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can effect an 80-90% reduction in the target weed population (1). We also have been able to demonstrate that mutants of broad host-range pathogens (S. sclerotiorum) can be obtained that are more useful for biological control because of auxotrophy and non-overwintering characteristics (2) (3). Recently we have been able to generate protoplasts from S. sclerotiorum (4), enabling us to use several powerful genetic tools, including transformation, and protoplast fusion. In this area of genetic manipulation of fungi for the purpose of biocontrol of weeds, we are an active lab with state & federal (USDA) funding. Our ultimate objectives are to provide a system whereby lethal, host-specific of such biocontrol agents would reduce the demand for chemical herbicides and hence reduce the adverse environmental impacts of such herbicides. In addition, in Montana, where herbicides are seldom most effective and rangland and on public forest lands, biological control agents may prove to be more cost effective. Our laboratory has been involved in the training of several MBRS and MAPS students. Our first priority with minority students is to keep them in school, and this is done by guidance in development of rigorous study skills. Then our approach is to give them free choice of research project relevant to our laboratory. This has included field work for some, and laboratory microbiology for others. In all cases, the students' biomedical career options are expanded by an awareness of the need for biochemical and molecular techniques on one hand, and biological principles and applications on the other. In addition, we attempt to instill in our students and understanding of the value of biological controls rather than chemical control, at least for environmental problems.