A FAST-ACTING MICROSPORIDIAN FOR GRASSHOPPER CONTROL

THERE IS GREAT NEED FOR A FAST-KILLING, PERSISTENT AGENT TO PROTECT HIGH VALUE CROPS FROM GRASSHOPPERS. BECAUSE GRASSHOPPERS MIGRATE AND MODERN CHEMICALS DO NOT PERSIST, EXPENSIVE, REPEATED TREATMENTS ARE NECESSARY. NOSEMA LOCUSTAE (NL), THE ONLY AVAILABLE PERSISTENT AGENT, ACTS TOO SLOWLY, REQUIRING ABOUT 3 WEEKS TO BEGIN KILLING. IN PRELIMINARY USDA TESTS, NOSEMA ACRIDOPHAGUS HENRY (NA), ANOTHER MICROSPORIDIAN, DEMONSTRATED SPEED AND VIRULENCE, ACTING IN ONE-THIRD THE TIME OF NL, AND ATTACKED A MUCH BROADER TISSUE RANGE. NA DEVELOPED TO INFECTIVE SPORES IN 4 DAYS VERSUS 14 FOR NL, AND NA INFECTED IMPORTANT GRASSHOPPER SPECIES. QUESTIONS OF ECONOMIC PRODUCTION, HOST RANGE, AND FIELD PERSISTENCE REMAIN. THIS PROJECT WILL DEFINE PROMISING METHODS FOR IN VIVO/VITRO NA PRODUCTION AND SHOULD CONFIRM THAT NA HAS THE REMAINING PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES NEEDED TO CONTROL GRASSHOPPERS - FIELD PERSISTENCE AND SUFFICIENT SPECIES INFECTIVITY. IN VIVO PRODUCTION APPROCHES WILL BE EXPLORED BY BOZEMAN BIO-TECH (BBT), USING PRIMARILY LEPIDOPTERAN LARVAE, BECAUSE NA PRODUCTION IN H. ZEA IS ENCOURAGING. THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WILL PURSUE IN VITRO PRODUCTION IN THEIR LEPIDOPTERAN/ORTHOPTERAN CELL LIMES. FINALLY, BBT WILL DEFINE NA FIELD PERSISTENCE AND INFECTIVITY RANGE.