Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB, is an invasive species laying waste to ash trees in the area. Recent research and testing at the University of Minnesota has provided a glimmer of hope that the destructive effects of EAB can be stopped.
The hypothesis started with Fungi. "We started looking at the different fungi that are in ash trees around Minnesota," says Colin Peters, PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota. "What we found is that there are a lot of fungi in these ash trees - some of them are potentially insect-killing fungi."
With a focus on a biological control for EAB, Peters and others exposed EAB to fungi in a lab. The EAB is exposed to fungal spores and then spreads the spores to other EAB through mating. Though still in early stages, autodissemination devices (traps that contain the fungi) have been deployed to specific private and public areas for the purpose of gauging the method's effectiveness.
More information on this subject can be found on the University of Minnesota website.
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.
