FHTET
BIOPESTICIDE PROGRAM
ONGOING PROJECTS
Gypchek
nucleopolyhedrovirus for gypsy moth
• Awarded 5-year contract with Sylvar
(a Canadian company) to produce
25,000 acre equivalents
• Developed a commercially produced
carrier – Carrier 038A available
through Omnova Solutions (Chester,
SC)
• Coordinate the use of gypchek as
part of the Gypsy Moth Cooperative
Suppression, Eradication, and Slowthe-Spread Programs
• Maintain state registrations (WI, OH,
NC, WV, VA, MD, DE, PA, NJ, NY)
TM-Biocontrol-1
nucleopolyhedrovirus for Douglas-fir
tussock moth
• Developed a commercially
produced carrier – Carrier
038A available through
Omnova Solutions (Chester,
SC)
• Maintain state registrations
(OR, WA, ID, NM, CA, CO)
Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae
• Commercially produced boreGONE® (Phyllom BioProducts)
• Strain of Bt with high activity
against certain species of beetles
• Evaluated in lab and small-scale
field trials for control of emerald
ash borer adults feeding on ash
foliage
• Limited efficacy due to formulation
and application inconsistencies
Lecanicillium muscarium
• Fungus in commercial product
Mycotal® (Koppert Biological
Systems, Netherlands) for HWA
control
• Preliminary trials - aerial application
of Mycotal® hemlock forest in TN
and ground application in VT
• Application of Mycotal® arresteded
HWA population growth, control
trees HWA continued to expand
Verticillium nonalfalfae
• V. nonalfalfae first
observed causing wilt and
mortality to tree-of-heaven
in south central
Pennsylvania forests
• Inoculation studies and
host-range susceptibility
testing showed that V.
nonalfalfae may be a lowrisk agent for controlling
tree-of-heaven
• Testing different
formulations of the fungus
to determine which is most
effective and usable by
land managers
Pyricularia grisea
phytotoxic metabolites
• Developing fungal grass pathogen’s
phytotoxic metabolites for inundative
control of invasive bufflegrass in
environmentally sensitive areas (e.g.
Sonoran Desert)
• This foliar pathogen already occurs on
bufflegrass in North America
• Characterize the phytotoxins produced
by strains of P. grisea from bufflegrass
and examine their ability to cause
disease-life damage on bufflegrass host
plants