- A naturally occurring specially formulated
insect virus may help control the devastating spruce budworm that causes
billions of dollars of damage annually to Canadian forests, say University
of Guelph researchers.
-
- Currently, there is no effective means
of controlling this pest, which attacks spruce and fir trees and is responsible
for much of the damage to Canadian forests. But a research team led by
U of G Prof. Peter Krell says a new viral defence against budworm could
be ready for lab testing in a year.
-
- "Clear cutting damage is minor compared
to bug damage in any one year," says U of G Prof. Peter Krell, Department
of Microbiology. "Having a strong virus that can adequately fight
off the budworm is important to help preserve the forest habitat."
-
- The spruce budworm infests trees and
slowly kills them by eating the needles and new growth of trees. Trees
may recover from budworm damage unless repeatedly attacked each year. In
1995 for example, 3.9 million hectares of Canadian forest were significantly
damaged by spruce budworm, far outnumbering the losses from forest fires
and logging. There are currently chemical pest controls available, but
these insecticides carry environmental and health concerns. The use of
viral control methods will alleviate these complications.
-
- Increasing the virulence of the spruce
budworm baculovirus -- a naturally occurring virus which attacks the spruce
budworm -- is being tackled by Krell, graduate student Tammy Reid, and
Basil Arif of Canadian Forestry Services in Sault Ste. Marie. This species-specific
virus attacks only the spruce budworm and affects no other organisms, and
leaves no undesirable traces.
-
- "It is the ideal species-specific
biological agent," says Krell.
-
- However, the virus is not as strong as
researchers would like to make a significant impact on the tree pests.
So work on genetically modifying the virus to be more effective is being
conducted. The researchers are developing a technique of adding the protein
"fusolin," originally obtained from a different virus but now
harvested in the lab, to improve the power of the spruce budworm baculovirus.
-
- This baculovirus is ideal to work with,
because viruses are natural organisms and do not pose the risks that other
pest-control methods do, Krell says. The virus, even if genetically altered
and with added fusolin protein, will leave no residue and will only attack
the budworm, and no other creatures will be harmed.
-
- The genetic manipulation of the spruce
budworm baculovirus and fusolin-adding techniques could also be applied
to other forestry and agriculture insect pests, by substituting a baculovirus
that is specific to those pests.
-
- When used in field trials, the virus
preparation could be added to a substance that is attractive to insects,
and then sprayed over the afflicted area, in the same manner that chemical
pesticides are distributed.
-
- This project was financed by the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council for the past three years. Preliminary
laboratory studies will be completed in 1999. A naturally occurring specially
formulated insect virus may help control the devastating spruce budworm
that causes billions of dollars of damage annually to Canadian forests,
say University of Guelph researchers.
-
- Currently, there is no effective means
of controlling this pest, which attacks spruce and fir trees and is responsible
for much of the damage to Canadian forests. But a research team led by
U of G Prof. Peter Krell says a new viral defence against budworm could
be ready for lab testing in a year.
-
- "Clear cutting damage is minor compared
to bug damage in any one year," says U of G Prof. Peter Krell, Department
of Microbiology. "Having a strong virus that can adequately fight
off the budworm is important to help preserve the forest habitat."
-
- The spruce budworm infests trees and
slowly kills them by eating the needles and new growth of trees. Trees
may recover from budworm damage unless repeatedly attacked each year. In
1995 for example, 3.9 million hectares of Canadian forest were significantly
damaged by spruce budworm, far outnumbering the losses from forest fires
and logging. There are currently chemical pest controls available, but
these insecticides carry environmental and health concerns. The use of
viral control methods will alleviate these complications.
-
- Increasing the virulence of the spruce
budworm baculovirus -- a naturally occurring virus which attacks the spruce
budworm -- is being tackled by Krell, graduate student Tammy Reid, and
Basil Arif of Canadian Forestry Services in Sault Ste. Marie. This species-specific
virus attacks only the spruce budworm and affects no other organisms, and
leaves no undesirable traces.
-
- "It is the ideal species-specific
biological agent," says Krell.
-
- However, the virus is not as strong as
researchers would like to make a significant impact on the tree pests.
So work on genetically modifying the virus to be more effective is being
conducted. The researchers are developing a technique of adding the protein
"fusolin," originally obtained from a different virus but now
harvested in the lab, to improve the power of the spruce budworm baculovirus.
-
- This baculovirus is ideal to work with,
because viruses are natural organisms and do not pose the risks that other
pest-control methods do, Krell says. The virus, even if genetically altered
and with added fusolin protein, will leave no residue and will only attack
the budworm, and no other creatures will be harmed.
-
- The genetic manipulation of the spruce
budworm baculovirus and fusolin-adding techniques could also be applied
to other forestry and agriculture insect pests, by substituting a baculovirus
that is specific to those pests.
-
- When used in field trials, the virus
preparation could be added to a substance that is attractive to insects,
and then sprayed over the afflicted area, in the same manner that chemical
pesticides are distributed.
-
- This project was financed by the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council for the past three years. Preliminary
laboratory studies will be completed in 1999.
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