Mobile Navigation

Environment, Health, Safety & Security

View Comments

A natural pesticide combats locust plague . . .

| By Chemical Engineering

Richard Milner, a Honary Fellow at CSIRO Entomology (Canberra, Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6517-541), has developed a rare native fungus, Metarhizium, into an environmentally friendly control for grass-hopper-type (including locust) agricultural pests. Metarhizium is a naturally occurring soil fungus that is genetically diverse; each isolate has a distinct host range. Milner and his coworkers were able to find an isolate that is highly pathogenic against Australian plague locusts.

Spores of the fungus are suspended in vegetable oil concentrate, diluted in a thinner mineral oil and applied as an aerial spray to locust bands and swarms. The spray, tradenamed Green Guard, is now produced by Becker Underwood, Inc. (Sydney, Australia; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6517-542). Green Guard has been used for some time under special license, and is now registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Chemicals Authority and is available through agricultural resellers and government bodies involved in locust control. It has been used in other countries, including Mexico and Indonesia. CSIRO and Becker are planning to export the product to China next year.