An insect is called for the falling army Food safety has spread around the world In over 80 countriesBut now, the new research has detected Australian fungi that eat insects from inside – and may be the key to preventing the devastating spread of insects.
Fall the armman (Spodoptera frugiparda) A type of gray moth natives for the tropical regions of Central and South America are natives, and in recent years, they have become one of the world’s most destructive corn crop pests. Adult moths can migrate over global trade and long distance aided by and With the windsAnd they are now present in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
Army flight recorded for the longest time Mississippi to southern Canada, covered 870 miles (1,400 km) in just 30 hours, Johnny Van Dan BurgA creature at the Northwest University in South Africa, who was not involved in new research, told Live Science in an email.
A fertile S. Frugiparda Women can lay 1,000 to 2,000 eggs during their lifetime. Van Dane Berg said that the child develops rapidly: after laying eggs on corn plants, the larvae causes severe leaf damage in about a week, said van Den Berg. There are also larvae like worm It is difficult to findSince they are small and strict – often, farmers do not detect the falling army pests until crop damage starts in advance.
Connected: What is the difference between a moth and a butterfly?
These insects eat most corn but can feed on one Huge variety of other cropsDamage wheat, cotton, sugarcane and vegetables.
Farmers have tried to control the spread of army pests with pesticides, but can insects Quickly develop a resistance For chemical pesticides. Therefore, scientists and farmers have discovered options for managing the armman problem, such as starting Virusapply Vegetable extract And Engineering crops to be resistantBut these methods are separate in large scale and their cost effectiveness in their viability.
Now, the new research by the Department of Primary Industry (DPI) of Australia announced a promising success: fungi and bacteria of Australia who attack the Gir Army insect.
Researchers have identified five types of fungi who can kill armyvars within 24 hours of exposure. For example, fungi Nomuria relay Before the larvae spread inside the body, covers the skin of the armman, covers it. It then eats the armman from inside.
Researchers shared their findings Meeting on Fall Armivorm Management Organized in March, and With Australian journalistsThey have not yet been published in the magazine reviewed by a colleague.
In separate research, another team of scientists Discover additional types of fungi These are capable of killing the armman with some types of bacteria. Some strains of fungi Buwariyar basiana About 75% of the army pests were killed within 48 hours.
This research team still does not fully understand how B. Basiana Kills Armyvars, studies co-writer V Tech TaiA biologist of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIO) in Australia told live science in an email. He believes that it may be associated with a toxin that produces fungi that affects the intestine of the armivorm, produces holes in the intestine cells that possibly starve the worms, trigger blood poisoning, or causes both.
CSIORO researchers say that their work is still in the early stages, and more research is required to move towards the application for insect management.
“Use of biological control agents … can be very effective,” Tai said. However, “careful resistance management plans will be required to deploy the fungi,” he said, because like traditional pesticides, misuse of fungi can cause resistance.
Their team tested fungi is usually found in a natural environment and is covered with pests regularly, so they do not guess the fungi to have poor ecological effects if they were used to control the army’s keys.
Meanwhile, DPI scientists are now working to get N. Relay Approved for sale as pest control measures, so it can be made available to farmers.
Van Dane Berg stated that the fungus can enter large -scale use, potential risk and unknown consequences should be assessed on the environment. But compared to the effects of chemical pesticides, the effect of bacteria and fungi is very less harmful to the environment, he said.
