Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Microbes and Biodiversity

What is Microbes?
According to my understanding during university study explains that microbes include Viruses, Bacteria, Fungi, Algae and Protozoa are present surround us. This microbes represent the vast majority of earths biodiversity but are least studied organisms. These cryptic organism are of critical importance to the sustainability of life on earth. They function in the ecosystem as pathogens, parasitic, muralists, decomposers, nutrient cyclers and bioremediators and contribute significant to the health of the ecosystems.

Today's with a new tools and new methods and a newly interdisciplinary approaches, this untapped reservoir of biodiversity has been seen as new resources for biotechnology product with a high impact on industrial and agricultural productions.

The significant amount of interest in the on the development of this microbes for crop protection has emerged in recent years. Apart from using microbes directly as microbial control agents. such as Bacillus spp (Read my article on Bt on my blog dated April 2010) , baculoviruses and entomopathogenic fungi controlling pests and plant growth enhancers as well as antagonists such as Trichoderma spp and mycorhizal fungi, many of these microbes are rich source of biologically active compound with potential use in agricultural horticulture and forestry.

Crytoxisa is an example which was extracted from blue green algae have generated a new class of fungicide with a great potential in agro-chemical industry. Other example was Spinosyn that was the main active ingredient of an insecticide Spinosad where was derived from a soil inhibiting bacterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa. This new finding helps us to go further more study in the microbes potential exploration.

MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW MICROBES...
VIRUS, FUNGI, BACTERIA, ALGAE...
THEY FOUND EVERY CORNER , WHERE?...
MORE EXPLORATION HAS TO BE MADE....

By
M Anem
Agriculture
(Article based on 2nd NAC in Tawau)

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