The new green revolution
a knowledge exchange case study
The Follow-on Fund supported work at Swansea University to develop a fungus into an environmentally friendly pesticide. This has since been licensed by a biotechnology firm and is on sale in the UK.
Green muscardine fungus - Metarhizium anisopliae - occurs naturally in soils worldwide. This fungus is an effective killer of some insects, but is harmless to others.
"Many chemical pesticides are now being phased out because of their impact on wider ecosystems, so this development couldn't come at a better time," says Professor Tariq Butt at Swansea University's College of Science.
Work on an earlier research grant at the university showed the fungus' effectiveness. A Follow-on Fund grant then helped establish which strains are worth commercialising. For example, one strain is especially effective at controlling harmful pests such as the black vine weevil, which costs nursery growers around £30m yearly.
A second Follow-on Fund grant supported work to increase yields while maintaining quality and extending shelf life. This is an area where potential naturally based pesticides often fail, so this support was crucial.
Overall, the follow-on work helped reduce production costs and accelerate the development of commercial products. This helped make the pesticide more attractive to businesses.
Currently Swansea University is assisting Welsh company Myco Solutions, an SME, in improving the mass production of entomopathogenic fungi, while biotechnology firm Novozymes BioAg has launched a pest control product that incorporates the findings from Professor Butt's work, which is now being marketed in the UK as Met52 by the horticultural products company Fargro.
Fargro's Dr Paul Sopp comments that "Met52 has been welcomed by the industry, replacing chemical products that have been withdrawn, and is now being used by more than 100 nurseries across the UK."
With pressure growing to cut pesticide use, it's a good thing alternatives are appearing. Bill Godfrey of W Godfrey & Sons Ltd, a grower and wholesale supplier of herbaceous plants, says Metarhizium "will give us a more sustainable and environmentally acceptable alternative to chemical insecticides - hopefully it'll help me sleep a little better at night!"
The work facilitated by the Follow-on Fund may have applications beyond farming and gardening. For example, the sports industry could benefit through the reduction of pest damage to playing fields and golf courses. Also, a particular strain of Metarhizium anisopliae is effective against mosquitoes that spread malaria.
More than half the world's population is at risk from malaria, and this proportion will increase through climate change. This gives Professor Butt's work - and the outcomes of the original NERC funding - a potentially critical health aspect.