Stopping the rot
Biological control has been developed as an alternative to using chemicals to protect crops. In the Sporefun project, researchers from five European countries used one species of fungi to attack and destroy another. Background `White mould' or `Sclerotinia rot' is a very destructive plant disease which can affect agricultural crops such as oilseed rape, soybean and sunflower. It is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which attacks crops, producing hairy white threads - subsequently, the plants rapidly wilt and die. To protect their crops, farmers spray their fields with fungicides. Finding ways to protect plants without using such expensive and toxic chemicals would benefit farmers and the environment alike. This was the idea behind the Sporefun project which is part of the European Commission's Biotech programme. Researchers from five European countries used a type of fungi to control biologically other species of fungi that cause crop diseases. Description, impact and results The project team aimed to mass produce fungal spores that can be used as a biological control agent. In addition, the cultivation, formulation and application of the fungus Coniothyrium minitans as a biological control agent was studied. Coniothyrium minitans is a naturally occurring parasite of the crop pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which is found throughout Europe. It specifically attacks only this disease-causing fungus and is harmless to both the crop and the environment. In the recently completed project, economic culture systems producing high concentrations of spores were developed for Coniothyrium minitans. The research work has resulted in a patented reactor (solid-state fermenter) used for this cultivation that yields large quantities of high-quality spores which can be applied directly in soils and on crop debris for biological control. Since the project results were so promising, an EU-Demonstration Project was started even before the research work was completed. This will help convince growers of the feasibility of biological control and provide an incentive to firms to produce the biological crop-protection agent. Working partnerships Thirteen research partners from France, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom cooperated in the project. The work was divided into several sub-projects and carried out by small research teams. These were selected from nine agricultural universities and research institutes and four industrial partners in the field of biological products and processes.