CURRENT AND FUTURE USE OF NEMATODES IN BIOCONTROL - PRACTICE AND COMMERCIAL ASPECTS WITH REGARD TO REGULATORY POLICY ISSUES

Constraints about the use of chemical insecticides have limited the av ailability of control measures against soil-borne insect pests. Entomo pathogenic nematodes of the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis pro vide an environmentally safe and economically reasonable alternative. Their life cycle and current production, storage and formulation techn ology are described. An overview of their safety, use in integrated pe st management and current market potential (> US$10 million in 1994) i s also given. The costs of research and development efforts and the sc ale-up of production technologies are discussed in relation to the cur rent and future market potential. Large-scale, outdoor application wil l require additional scientific and technical progress in the areas of production storage, formulation and application. Besides public findi ng, the current niche markets will need to provide the financial basis for further development, provided that regulatory conditions will not limit the exploitation of the nematodes' market potential. it is reco mmended that nematodes should be exempted from registration. Rules for risk assessment in the use of exotic nematodes should be internationa lly harmonized and related specifically to the biology and ecology of these nematodes. The volume of current markets would not justify the c osts of registration procedures currently required for chemical or mic robial insecticides or genetically engineered organisms. Regulatory po licies should aim at supporting the further introduction of entomopath ogenic nematodes as biocontrol agents.