Author
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Rossman, Amy |
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Submitted to: Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/1996 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Noxious weeds, insect pests, and fungal pathogens cause billions of dollars in damage to agricultural crops and contribute to the destruction of native plants and animals throughout the world. Increasingly there is a need to control these pests using biologically based management strategies that involve beneficial organisms. As a group, the fungi hold tremendous potential because they can parasitize and destroy such pests thereby serving as agents of biological control. Two examples in which fungi have been successfully used in biological control are presented and discussed. In both cases the success in using fungi to control the pests is directly related to two factors. The first factor is adequate systematic knowledge of the taxonomic group to which the potential biocontrol fungi belong. The second factor is access to germplasm from around the world. The paper will used by policy makers, economists, and lawyers who make policy concerning whether access to genetic resources will be available to scientists. Technical Abstract: Noxious weeds, insect pests, and fungal pathogens cause billions of dollars in damage to agricultural crops and contribute to the destruction of native plants and animals throughout the world. Increasingly there is a need to control these pests using biologically based management strategies that involved beneficial organisms. As a group, the fungi hold tremendous potential because they can parasitize and destroy these pests thereby serving as agents of biological control. The use of fungi in biological control has been limited primarily by a lack of systematic knowledge about them. Two examples in which fungi have been successfully used in biological control are presented and discussed. In both cases the success in using fungi to control the pests is directly related to two factors. The first factor is adequate systematic knowledge of the taxonomic group to which the potential biocontrol fungi belong. This knowledge directs the search and discovery of the most effective species for biological control. The second factor is access to germplasm from around the world. Access to the diversity of fungi is required both to develop systematic knowledge and to obtain the specific germplasm used as the biological control agent. |
