Feasibility of Using Mycoherbicides for Controlling Illicit Drug Crops (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 3-11
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From page 3... ...
, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) requested that the National Research Council form an expert committee to examine the scientific issues associated with the feasibility of developing and implementing naturally occurring strains of the mycoherbicide fungi as a means of eradicating illicit cannabis, coca, and opium poppy crops.
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On the basis of its review, the committee concluded that the available data are insufficient to determine the effectiveness of the specific fungi proposed as mycoherbicides to combat illicit-drug crops or to determine their potential effects on nontarget plants, microorganisms, animals, humans, or the environment. The questions normally asked before a fungal pathogen is registered as a mycoherbicide in the United States have not been adequately addressed.
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However, the mechanisms underlying the hostpathogen interactions and secondary spread of disease, which are critical determinants of mycoherbicide efficacy, have yet to be documented. INOCULUM PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY Large-scale production of the proposed mycoherbicides appears to be feasible, although available fermentation capacity might not suffice to combat illicit-drug crops on a global scale.
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In the available studies, the coca mycoherbicide strain survived for up to 7 months after application, and the opium poppy mycoherbicide strain survived in treated fields for two growing seasons. Those fungi are indigenous where their host plants are grown and have been linked to periodic, natural epidemics, so at least the fungal strains related to the mycoherbicide strains survive for a long time in the presence of their hosts.
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From page 7... ...
Such dispersal would inadvertently expose native plant species to the mycoherbicides and could pose risks to local ecosystems. The coca mycoherbicide, for example, could cause increased disease epidemics of native relatives of coca plants that could lead to adverse effects on local biodiversity or increase erosion if native coca communities on steep hillsides are reduced in size or density.
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From page 8... ...
papaveris. Because indigenous strains of these fungal pathogens are present where the drug crops are grown, it is unlikely that mutations would occur in the introduced strains that have not already occurred in the indigenous population or that the mutations would pose novel risks to nontarget plants or other organisms, including humans or other animals.
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Before the mycoherbicides could be used outside the United States, additional regulations in one or more international agreements might also need to be met, including the International Plant Protection Convention, International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, and legal requirements in the country where the mycoherbicides are to be used. OVERARCHING FINDINGS Studies of the cannabis, coca, and opium poppy mycoherbicides that have been published or were made available to the panel are preliminary, exploratory, and insufficient to determine their suitability for controlling illicit-drug crops.
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From page 10... ...
Farmers who welcome attempts to control unwanted plants will tolerate aerial application from aircraft flying at low altitudes and at low speeds or from ground-based equipment, as needed, for the effective application of mycoherbicides, and they will permit or assist in the on-the-ground monitoring needed to assess the efficacy of the mycoherbicide. The proposed mycoherbicides for illicit-drug crops would not have similar cooperation from their growers, and this would constrain aerial application methods and limit on-the-ground monitoring.
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From page 11... ...
Mycoherbicides consist of living organisms that interact with and adapt to their environment, and it is difficult to predict how they might behave when released in substantial numbers into an ecosystem.
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