Because these parasites can only be mass-produced in living larvae, and because they exert mostly sublethal, debilitating effects on larval populations, interest in their development as a biocontrol agent waned and research in this area was terminated in the early 1990s. Research during the 1970s and 1980s focused on characterizing microsporidian parasites of forest defoliators and assessing their potential in inundative release programs. The rights to produce these agents commercially were transferred in 2009 to a private company, Sylvar Technologies, in Fredericton, N.B. The project was instrumental in developing, field testing and registering several products based on target-specific nucleopolyhedroviruses, in particular for control of gypsy moth (Dispar®), tussock moths (Virtuss®), and redheaded pine sawfly (Lecontvirus®). mode of action in forest Lepidoptera is continued to support this effort. A limited investment in basic research on B.t.k. strains with improved activity against selected forest pests, in collaboration with the University of Montreal, the Biotechnology Research Institute, and commercial partners. In addition, we have recently initiated a number of projects that focus on applying recent advances in recombinant DNA technology to create B.t.k.
MICROBE BIOCONTROL AGENTS REGISTRATION
The Project works hand-in-hand with a number of companies and end-users to facilitate the development and registration of improved forestry products. research is shifting from basic research to research that supports product development and future innovations.
MICROBE BIOCONTROL AGENTS FULL
is an operational product under full commercial development, the focus of our B.t. efficacy model and to improvements in the way B.t. Research at the organism and population level has yielded better insights into processes underlying dose acquisition and dose expression, which have contributed to the formulation of a detailed spruce budworm- B.t. has resulted in further elucidation of its mode of action in forest insects, including studies on the activity of various toxin proteins against forest insects (link to Toxin Specificity Data base), the role of gut proteases in activating the toxin proteins, their binding to receptors, and resulting effects on midgut cells. is now enjoying worldwide commercial interest for use in agricultural crops as well as in other markets. has been used on nearly 8 million hectares of insect-infested forest since 1985. After 35 years of basic and applied research it is the product of choice for aerial forest protection programs in Canada, as well as elsewhere in the world, because of its excellent record for environmental safety. CFS researchers played a critical role in the development of this bacterium as an effective and viable alternative to synthetic insecticides for control of defoliating forest Lepidoptera, such as spruce budworms and gypsy moths. The most prominent success resulting from those efforts is the commercialization of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki ( B.t.k.). have formed the backbone of the Microbial Control Agents Project. For the past 25 years, studies on baculoviruses and B.t.k. Only a few of those were suitable for development as insect control agents. Marie researchers described and investigated many pathogens attacking forest insects, including viruses, fungi, bacteria and microsporidia. It later became the Insect Pathology Research Institute, and is now part of the Great Lakes Forestry Centre. The Laboratory was mandated to find pathogens that could be used to combat forest insects as an alternative to broad-spectrum synthetic insecticides, which were proving to be harmful to the environment. This project has been investigating microorganisms that cause disease in forest insects since the early 1950s when the Laboratory for Insect Pathology was established in Sault Ste. Insects harbour a wide variety of diseases. The Bacillus thuringiensis toxin specificity database