Rapid identification of insect pathogenic fungi for commercial production

作物保护者有限公司的目标之一，一家综合害虫管理（IPM）公司，是利用自然产生的微生物菌株来控制害虫。这些生物农药通过加强害虫综合治理（IPM）、抗性管理、提高新鲜农产品的产量、质量和适销性而使种植者受益。Crop Defenders Ltd.正在与加拿大和国际上需要高质量微生物防治害虫的非常有前途的作物生产商合作。Crop Defenders Ltd.的重点之一是使用感染昆虫的真菌物种来控制加拿大安大略和国际上的作物害虫。作物卫士有限公司已分离出超过250株真菌在安大略，并正在评估这些地方性菌株的生物控制努力。为了评估潜在的使用菌株的真菌，作物卫士在农业中，它是必要的，首先要能够确定哪些真菌物种，他们已经分离。这也是重要的，如果真菌被释放用于昆虫控制，以便能够跟踪菌株的生存能力，持久性和效力。我们在布鲁克大学的实验室在鉴定真菌物种，特别是昆虫病原真菌方面有至少25年的经验。我们将使用至少两个分子标记，使用聚合酶链反应（PCR），以确定真菌的种类相比，以前确定的分离株。我们将比较这些真菌分离株的系统发育分析，以便将真菌的分类背景。此外，我们还将试验快速DNA提取方案，以简化真菌鉴定的整个过程。

One of the goals of Crop Defenders Ltd., an integrated pest management (IPM) company, is to utilize naturallyoccurring strains of microorganisms in order to control insect pests. These biopesticides benefit the growers byenhancing integrated pest management (IPM), resistance management, improving the yield, quality andmarketability of the fresh produce. Crop Defenders Ltd. is working with very promising crop producers thathave demand for high quality microbials for pest control in Canada and internationally.One of the foci of Crop Defenders Ltd. is to employ species of fungi that infect insects in order to control insectpests of crops in Ontario, Canada and internationally. Crop Defenders Ltd has isolated over 250 strains of fungiin Ontario and are assessing these endemic strains in a biological control effort.In order to assess the potential for the use of the strains of fungi that Crop Defenders has in agriculture it isnecessary first to be able to identify which fungal species they have isolated. This would also be important ifthe fungus is released for insect control in order to be able to track the viability, persistence and efficacy of thestrain.Our laboratory at Brock University has at least 25 years of experience in identifying fungal species,particularly, insect pathogenic fungi. We will use at least two molecular markers using polymerase chainreaction (PCR) to identify the fungal species in comparison to previously identified isolates. We will comparethese fungal isolates in a phylogenetic analysis in order to place the fungi in a taxonomic context. Furthermore,we will be experimenting with rapid DNA extraction protocols in order to streamline the entire process offungal identification.