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Biological control is based on friendly fungi, bacteria,
nematodes and insects, which occur naturally in the soil, on
plants or elsewhere in the environment, and which can attack
unwanted pests. Some of these friendly biological control agents (BCAs)
provide a safe, environmentally friendly, non-chemical method of
controlling insect and nematode pests, weeds and diseases of
crops. Not only are these BCAs environmentally friendly, but, in
some cases, they may also provide control where no chemical or
other control method is effective. Some of the BCAs, which protect
plant roots from disease, have the added advantage of stimulating
and increasing plant growth by as much as 30 - 300% thereby
increasing crop yields.
Another important group of BCAs are those which
protect edible fruits from rot diseases, thereby reducing the
dangers, to consumers, posed by residues of chemicals which are
otherwise used to control these rots. A further special category
of biological control is that in which an aggressive but highly
specific fungus or insect is chosen to attack an unwanted weed
which is spreading out of control. For example Prosopis
(mesquite), a central American tree which has vicious thorns,
covers thousands of hectares in South Africa. A virulent fungus is
needed to attack and control this rampantly invasive weed. The
search for an anti-Prosopis fungus will focus in South Africa and
in central America.
The successful consortium has four members: the
ARC Fruit, Vine and Wine Research Institute, Stellenbosch; the ARC
Plant Protection Research Institute, Weeds Division, Stellenbosch;
Plant Pathology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg; and Plant
Health Products CC (PHP), Nottingham Rd. The task of the first
three partners will be to isolate and test BCAs and to retest
formulated products. PHP's role will be to grow large quantities
of successful BCAs under appropriate conditions and formulate the
products into a useable form. In the past successful research on
biological control has often failed to establish itself in the
marketplace because of the huge gap between research results and
commercial production. This project tackles the problem by making
the manufacturing process a central focus, with the overall aim of
producing a series of indigenous BCAs and plant growth stimulating
organisms for local and international sale. |