Brazil Develops Biopesticide against Lizards for Cassava

Cassava is a very important crop in Brazil, the second biggest world producer, and it is also the most consumed crop by low-income population in the country. The state of Acre, in the north of the country, is one of the main producing areas, but production is affected by a lizard that attacks the leaves of cassava causing great losses in yields. EMBRAPA, the Brazilian Research Corporation, has developed a biopesticide against this plague, from extracts from lizards infected by Baculovirus erinnys, a naturally occurring virus in Brazilian cassava fields. The biopesticide is highly effective, especially when applied in the initial phase of the attack of the plague, killing almost 95% of the lizards.

 Murilo Fazolin, a researcher from EMBRAPA, explains that the biopesticide has no effect on insects and other predators in the field, and is also harmless to humans and domestic animals. In addition, the cost of production is very low, and the extract can be frozen and kept for a year.

 For more information visit: http://www.agenciabrasil.gov.br/noticias/2007/04/27/materia.2007-04-27.9378593442/view