title: Elsinochrome A production by the bindweed biocontrol fungus Stagonospora convolvuli LA39 does not pose a risk to the environment or the consumer of treated crops.
abstract: Biological control as an alternative to chemical pesticides is of increasing public interest. However, to ensure safe use of biocontrol methods, strategies to assess the possible risks need to be developed. The production of toxic metabolites is an aspect which has so far largely been neglected in the risk assessment and the registration process for biocontrol products. We have evaluated the risks of elsinochrome A (ELA) and leptosphaerodione production by the fungus Stagonospora convolvuli LA39, an effective biocontrol agent used against bindweeds. The toxicity of the two metabolites to bacteria, protozoa, fungi and plants was evaluated in in vitro assays. The most sensitive bacteria and fungi were already affected at 0.01-0.07 microM ELA, whereas plants were far less sensitive. Leptosphaerodione was less toxic than ELA. Subsequently, it was investigated whether ELA is present in the applied biocontrol product or LA39-treated bindweed and crop plants. In plants ELA was never detected and in the biocontrol product the ELA concentration was far too low to have toxic effects even on the most sensitive organisms. We conclude that the production of ELA by biocontrol strain LA39 does not pose a risk to the environment or to the consumer.
authors.affiliation: Plant Pathology, Institute of Integrative Biology, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Désirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boss
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurhofer
authors.forename: Elsbeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schläpfer
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Défago
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031254:Convolvulus / Q000382:microbiology*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000382:microbiology*; D005506:Food Contamination; D031985:Fragaria; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D016973:Pectobacterium carotovorum / Q000187:drug effects; D010569:Perylene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects; D011551:Pseudomonas fluorescens / Q000187:drug effects; D011809:Quinones / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D013769:Tetrahymena pyriformis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D011809:Quinones; C062775:elsinochrome A; D010569:Perylene