Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales have used genetic engineering to repurpose a strain of beneficial bacteria for use as a safe, sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides.
The research team found that Burkholderia ambifaria bacteria, when altered with genomic tools, have the potential to act as effective biopesticides, replacing synthetic pesticides that can harm human and environmental health.
“Through our work, we hope to make Burkholderia viable as an effective biopesticide, with the ultimate aim of making agriculture and food production safer, more sustainable and toxin-free,” said lead researcher Eshwar Mahenthiralingam of Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences.
“Beneficial bacteria such as Burkholderia that have co-evolved naturally with plants have a key role to play in a sustainable future,” Mahenthiralingam said. “We have to understand the risks, mitigate against them and seek a balance that works for all.”
This isn’t the first time that biopesticides have been eyed for crop protection.
Though the group of bacteria called Burkholderia successfully protected crops against diseases, in the 1990s they were linked to serious lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), leading to concerns about their safety. They were eventually taken off the market.
This experience led scientists into other fields of research. “I have been working with Burkholderia for many years, primarily in relation to CF lung infections, which in turn led to a new line of antibiotic discovery research,” Mahenthiralingam said.
He then teamed up with plant scientist Jim Murray, who heads the School of Biosciences, and doctoral student Alex Mullins to investigate Burkholderia-plant interactions and how they protect plants against disease.
“By sequencing the genomic DNA of the bacteria, we were able to identify Burkholderia‘s antibiotic-making gene, Cepacin,” Mahenthiralingam said in a university press release. “Further testing demonstrated that Cepacin offered highly effective protection against damping off — a horticultural disease caused by a fungus-like organism.”
Using genetic engineering techniques similar to those used to produce live vaccines, the researchers are also exploring how to improve the safety of the bacteria.
“Burkholderia split their genomic DNA across three fragments, called replicons,” Mahenthiralingam explained. “We removed the smallest of these three replicons to create a mutant Burkholderia strain which, when tested on germinating peas, still demonstrated excellent biopesticidal properties.”
Further work showed that this Burkholderia mutant did not persist in a mouse lung infection model, opening up the possibility of constructing biopesticidal strains that can still deliver effective plant protection without the risk of causing infection.
Their research is published in Nature Microbiology.
The Cardiff University team, working in collaboration with chemists Greg Challis and Matthew Jenner of the University of Warwick, recently were awarded a £1 million grant from BBSRC to take the research to the next level. The goal is to develop an effective and safe biopesticide that does not build up to harmful levels in the environment.
Learn more: Genetic engineering creates alternative to chemical pesticides
The Latest on: Biopesticides
[google_news title=”” keyword=”biopesticides” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Biopesticides
- Dextrose… with a 40% lower carbon footprint? Green Plains gears up to launch ‘truly disruptive’ tech at ethanol plant in Iowaon May 8, 2024 at 8:20 am
Green Plains will be able to produce dextrose with significantly lower capital and carbon intensity vs the standard wet milling process.
- AgroBiodiversity Conservation: the ABC of climate resilienceon May 8, 2024 at 12:29 am
It is here that participants of the Forest and Farm Producer Organisations’ International Conference on Agrobiodiversity gathered to learn more about agrobiodiversity conservation and ...
- China Liquid Biopesticides Market Pathways: Leading Trends and Predictions for 2032on May 7, 2024 at 8:42 pm
Report Ocean published the latest research report on the China Liquid Biopesticides market. In order to comprehend a market holistically, a variety of factors must be evaluated, including demographics ...
- Promising Research of Biopesticide Integration in Small Fruiton May 6, 2024 at 5:46 am
Having previously conducted small fruit projects in 2021 and ’22, Cox is trying to answer the question: Could growers start using biopesticides and single-site fungicides in place of multisite ...
- China Liquid Biopesticides Market Projections Point Towards Historic Revenue Expansionon May 2, 2024 at 9:01 pm
As the global economy recovers in 2021 and the supply of the industrial chain improves, the Liquid Biopesticides market will undergo major changes. According to the latest research, the market size of ...
- Study calls for a repurposing of input subsidies to promote sustainable IPM practiceson May 2, 2024 at 1:39 pm
A CABI-led study has revealed that participation in the Zambia Farmer Input Subsidy Program (FISP)—particularly the flexible e-voucher system—encourages synthetic pesticide use at the expense of ...
- CABI-led study calls for a repurposing of input subsidies to promote sustainable IPM practiceson May 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The research found that farmers consider synthetic pesticides and biopesticides as substitutes against the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) pest and are more likely to adopt sustainable pest ...
- The cicadas are coming. Here’s what to know if you’re in their pathon April 30, 2024 at 3:01 pm
If you live in their path, you can expect to see a staggering number of these bugs dominating your local landscape — and loudly buzzing — between May and June. In warmer locations, some cicadas may ...
- Agroscience Market Report 2024-2032 Featuring Detailed Profiles of Agrinos, Nutrien, Arysta LifeScience (United Phosphorus), BASF, Bayer, and Moreon April 30, 2024 at 1:47 am
The "Agroscience Market Report by Product (Genetically Modified (GM) Seeds, Biopesticides, Biostimulants), and Region 2024-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The ...
- Europe has to set aside the pesticides row and turn toward sustainable agricultural solutionson April 29, 2024 at 1:26 am
The stakes are too high, the issues too intricate, and the world too dependent on us taking the right actions for us to work in silos, or isolation — or worse, for us to stand divided, Olivier de ...
via Bing News