Biological control

Efficient testing for evaluating large numbers of potential biocontrol agents

In the selection process of biocontrol agents, bioassays are time-consuming and, therefore, costly. Barnett and colleagues (Flinders University, Australia) published a new, simple bioassay for selecting the activity of 2310 micro-organisms against Rhizoctonia solani in wheat. Prospectful species (185) were repeated in a larger and more realistic bioassay. This resulted in 43 new species/isolates performing better than those that had been selected previously.

Barnett & al. in Biological Control, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2017.07.003