Bionema , a biotech Swansea University - based ship’s company , has received a grant awarding from Innovate UK to further evolve applied science that could help oneself combat pestis which cost the worldwide saving one million million every year .
Western Flower Thrips infect with entomopathogenic fungi , Beauveria bassiana BNL 103
The £ 765,000 grant was award under Innovate UK ’s Open Competition and will fund part of a collaborative project with the University of Birmingham , APIS ( Applied Insect Science Ltd ) , Silsoe Spray Applications Unit , AgroSmart Ltd and Qi3 .
Bionema is betroth in the research , development and commercialisation of innovative product which utilise rude micro-organism ( nematode worm , fungi , bacteria ) for the command of insect pests of horticultural , turf amenity and forestry sectors .
The backing will be used to develop and commercialise a microencapsulation - based expression for the control of Western Flower Thrip ( WFT ) and Black Vine Weevil ( BVW ) which cause significant economic personnel casualty in high - value horticultural crops globally . European flux losings from computer virus infection and direct feeding damage by WFT is gauge at £ 550 million p.a. , with worldwide costs over £ 5 billion . BVW alone causes annual losses of £ 40 million to UK horticultural industry ; and £ 4 billion worldwide .
The Western Flower Thrips is expert at developing impedance to chemical substance insecticide while increase regularisation makes command of the Black Vine Weevil difficult due to remotion from the market of Chlorpyrifos ( organophosphates ) one of the most widely - used insecticides .
Bionema will be lead the work with the University of Birmingham . The project will supply a whole step - change in Integrated Pest Management by develop groundbreaking new microencapsulation technology - based products for dramatically improved efficiency and efficacy over existing biopesticides in a encompassing assortment of crop .
Dr Minshad Ali Ansari , Founder and CEO of Bionema , read : “ There is increasing consumer - led retail merchant need for growers to reduce or get rid of the use of chemical pesticides ( and residues ) in harvest production . This Innovate UK grant will really enable us to fast track microencapsulation technology , allowing the benefits to quickly feed back into the harvest tribute manufacture . We believe this ground - break technology will empower the world biocontrol community . ”
In July 2019 , Swansea University and Bionema will host the inaugural Biopesticide Summit to speak the weight-lift need to evolve alternatives to chemical pesticides .
