Research

Background: The BIPESCO Team Innsbruck is an international acknowledged group on the control of subterranean pests (e.g. grape phylloxera, scarab, wireworm and weevil pests, western corn root worm) and ticks with mycoinsecticides such as Beauveria spp. and Metarhizium spp., and of diseases (e.g. ESCA, grapevine root rot) with mycoparasitic fungi such as Clonostachys spp. and Trichoderma spp. Our excellent references as mycopathology group have allowed to collaborate with many of the leading scientists in this field. BIPESCO consortium has been full contractor of numerous projects funded by national and international agencies (e.g. DaFNE, Austrian Science Fund, INTERREG, ERA-NETs; European Commission: BIPESCO, RAFBCA and REBECA).

Topics: BIPESCO Ibk is interested to generate considerable data on risk assessment of fungi for pest control and has considerable "all-round" experience in registration, production, formulation and application of microbial biocontrol agents (BCAs). Current projects include the development of Beauveria, Metarhizium and Trichoderma as biological control agents. Furthermore, the following research topics are covered by the BIPESCO group: soil microbiology, structure elucidation of secondary metabolites, degradation of xenobiotics and agrochemicals, bioleaching and biosorption of metals – subjects also highly pertinent to our ongoing research.

Methods: We use shake flask culture, sophisticated bioreactor batch and continuous culture, solid state fermenters; methods to extract and quantify metabolites. For registration purposes we do all relevant testings of fungal BCAs based on EPPO guidelines or BIPESCO, RAFBCA and REBECA Standards (e.g. determine shelf life of fungal BCAs; quality control testings; conduct grower trials to demonstrate the efficacy and robustness of fungal BCAs).