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Grants Awarded to Fund Biological Pesticide Demonstration Projects

Release Date: 04/28/2004
Contact Information: Dave Deegan 617-918-1017 / deegan.dave@epa.gov

(04/28/04) Joint grants totaling $102,000 have been awarded to nine projects designed to demonstrate the effective use of biological pesticides, called biopesticides, to promote their adoption in agriculture. Biopesticides are certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. They pose fewer health and safety concerns than conventional, chemical pesticides. The nine awardees were selected from more than 40 proposals evaluated jointly for technical merits by both EPA and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture staff. The grants have been awarded based on criteria including the potential for risk reduction combined with effective pest control. With more than 30 biopesticides included in the proposals, innovative measures include promoting rotations between reduced risk conventional pesticides and novel combinations of biopesticides as part of biologically-intensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems. A wide range of specialty crops, nursery crops, rangeland and turf were represented in the proposals. Recipients of biopesticide demonstration grants are: Michigan State University for a Biopesticide-based, Area-wide Approach to Managing Codling Moth in Michigan Apple; Cornell University for Effectiveness of the Biological Pesticide Serenade (Bacillus subtilis) within an Apple IPM System to Control Major Diseases; University of Wyoming for Evaluation of Mycotrol O® (Beauveria bassiana, GHA strain) Application enhanced with Canola Oil to Prevent Grasshopper Infestation of Improved Pastures and Irrigated Fields; University of Maine for Effective Tactics for the Biopesticide Botanigard Alone and in Conjunction with Spintor for Control of the Blueberry Flea Beetle; Colorado State University for Incorporating Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus into an IPM Program for Corn Earworm; Cornell University for Evaluating Several Biopesticides for Powdery Mildew in Cucurbit Crops; University of California-Davis/AgraQuest, Inc. for Effectiveness of Serenade, Bacillus subtilis, within a grape IPM Program to Control Powdery Mildew and Botrytis bunch rot; University of Arizona for Effectiveness of Contans and Serenade within a Biologically Intensive Integrated Pest Management System for ineSclerotinia Drop on Lettuce; and Mississippi State University for a Trial of Bio-Fungicides with Efficacy for Controlling Dollar Spot in Turfgrasses. More information on EPA’s regulation of biopesticides is available at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/