1. MYCOPESTICIDES Collecting and Cultivating Entomopathogens
Tradd Cotter
Mushroom Mountain, LLC
Liberty, SC

2. Myco- “mushroom, fungus” Pesticide- “substance that prevents, destroys, or mitigates any pest”

3. Types of Pests
Insects – structural, human disease vectors, biting, agricultural
Microbial – bacterial and fungal pathogens related to human and plant health
Rodents

4. Types of Pests
Insects – structural, human disease vectors, biting, agricultural
Microbial – bacterial and fungal pathogens related to human and plant health
Rodents - Monsanto, DOW, Syngenta, etc

5. Concerns with Mycopesticides
Some insects are beneficial at one stage and a pest at another.
Caterpillars eating agricultural crops
Adult butterflies serve as beneficial pollinators

6. Concerns with Mycopesticides
Host jumping
Range of specificity must be determined within a clade of family of insects
Mechanisms for target specificity, spore adhesion and host recognition not yet understood
Residual effects

7. Benefits of Mycopesticides
Narrow bandwidth of target specificity using cloned ecotypes.
Self replicating – inexpensive to manufacture
Low to no ecotoxicity compared to chemical pesticides
Can be collected from native or local stock to target local pests

8. Copyright – Tradd Cotter

9. 7.5 BILLION POUNDS OF PRODUCT USE
ACTIVE
INGREDIENT
CHLORPYRIFOS
7.5 BILLION POUNDS OF PRODUCT USE
PER YEAR

10. Metarhizium feeding on Varroa Mites

11. Isolation and Purification of Cultures Insect
Surface Sterilize insect – ethanol / sterile water wash – alternate 3 times 30 seconds each
Open insect and remove tissue in appendages, not abdomen or gut
Use dental tool or needle – peroxide wash tissue for 5 minutes if necessary
Use antibiotic media

12. Isolation and Purification of Cultures Teleomorph – Fruiting Body
Place insect and attached fungus into a humidity chamber to allow maturation of spore bearing surface
Use needle to touch emerging spores from parethecia (pits)
OR surface sterilize fruiting body and remove sterile tissue

13. Isolation and Purification of Cultures Maintaining Entomopathogens
Capture target insects specific for fungus
Blend exoskeletons into agar formulation before sterilization
Host recognition and target specificity begins to deteriorate if host is not present after several transfers – lose interest
Submerged agar storage on slants
Liquid combined with glycerol and frozen

14. Death and Mummification
MYCOPESTICIDES WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED
Discovery
Isolation of Pure Culture
Ant Gallery Construction
Death and Mummification
( 7 days )
Addition of Fungus ( 5 days )

15. MYCOPESTICIDES TARGET-SPECIFIC, Biological alternative to chemicals
Broad Range Acephate Toxicity
Chemical
Pesticide
Large Target Window
MYCOPESTICIDAL Narrow Target Window

16. MYCOPESTICIDES PLAN OF ACTION AND CHALLENGES
DNA AND PATENT PROTECTION
Identify and File Delivery System or Trade Secret Process
2. PERMITTING AND FIELD TRIALS
EPA & Clemson Pesticide Permitting Applied For
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Process development and scaling from parallel models
LICENSE AND DISTRIBUTE
Manufacture or license active ingredient