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A 30-Year Effort to Develop the Mole Cricket Nematode Product, Nematac S. Norman C. Leppla & Jennifer L. Gillett. Eda Reinot. Mole Cricket Damage. Mole cricket damage and chemical control cost ~ $100 million annually in the S.E. United States.
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A 30-Year Effort to Develop the Mole Cricket Nematode Product, Nematac S Norman C. Leppla & Jennifer L. Gillett Eda Reinot
Mole cricket damage and chemical control cost ~ $100 million annually in the S.E. United States. Chemicals are too expensive for use on pasture land. Mole crickets rebound in most treated areas. Concern about non-target effects of chemicals. Chemical Control
Mole Cricket State Program Objective: To conduct research and demonstration projects that will widely distribute the entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema scapterisci, in Florida; determine its establishment, rate of spread and impact on Scapteriscus spp. mole crickets; and support its commercialization.
Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 • Created more than 260 university TLOs • Connected academic research to the nation’s innovation and R&D capacity • Provided a strong incentive for industry-university research collaborations and industrial investment
Technology Licensing Bridges the gap between science and products! Science Products
Benefits of Technology Licensing • Protects venture capitalists • Moves discoveries to market • Forms industrial partnerships • Attracts research funding • Places graduates in rewarding jobs • Earns royalty income
Commercial Biological Control • Rearing and handling equipment • Materials for manipulating organisms • Diets and processing chemicals • Rearing and application methods • Specific uses for natural enemies • New organisms
GovernmentInstitution Entrepreneur/Company Entrepreneur/Company Market Analysis Feasibility Study Market Analysis Financing Appropriation Financing License forCommercial Product Product Development Product Development Product Development Client Group Customers Customers Technology Transfer for Publicly-Funded Biological Control Products Public Domain Public Domain Patented
Biological Control of Mole Crickets in Florida by the Nematode Mean Number of Mole Crickets Trapped
Nematac S- 2001 & 2002 80 billion nematodes 32 counties Education & training Nematode diagnostics Nematode survey Refined methods Establish & spread Nematode Applications
MoleCricket Nematode in Florida • 6 months- 80% mole crickets infected • 1 year- infected mole crickets spread nematodes across the pasture • 3 years- • 85% decline in mole crickets • 40-95% recovery of bahiagrass • 20-35% infected mole crickets
Pasture condition in 2002 2 yr after nematode application ~ 95% grass canopy ground cover
Suppliers of Nematac S • Golf Courses and Athletic Fields • Golf Ventures • ProSource One • UHS • Lesco • Homeowners • Gardens Alive • Pasture and Sod Farms • UAP Florida • Helena • ProSource One • Diamond R Fertilizer • Lykes AgriSales • Ben Hill Griffin Fertilizer
Do You Need Mole Cricket Nematodes? • Do you have significant mole cricket problems in your pastures?Yes • Would you use Nematac S with technical assistance from Becker Underwood and UF/IFAS?Yes • Are you willing to pay up to $50 per acre for both the product and application?No • Would you prefer to pay $25 per acre and borrow the application equipment from the Florida Cattlemen’s Association?Yes
Potential Actions to Increase Sales of Nematac S • Re-establish commercial application of the nematode. • Keep the cost to $25 - $50 per acre, perhaps by providing access to application equipment. • Provide customer service by applicator or supplier to assure that the nematodes are used effectively. • Increase Extension/Becker Underwood activities to promote Nematac S, especially field demonstrations. • Establish a mechanism to anticipate seasonal orders for Nematac S, e.g.,damage thresholds.
