New hope for horses

 

Scientists have proposed that an eco-friendly fungal spray could infect the deadly weed Ragwort.

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This spray will contain a host-specific, plant pathogenic fungus as the active ingredient and will have no side-effects on non-target organisms and pose no threat to the environment. It would therefore provide a quick, safe and effective means for controlling Ragwort, killing the weed at a critical growth stage.
 
Common British weed Ragwort, thrives on wasteland, road verges and railway land. It spreads easily to pasture land and is poisonous to horses, ponies, donkeys and other livestock, causing death through liver disease. Over 6,500 horses are killed each year from Ragwort poisoning.
 
Current methods for killing the weed include pulling, mowing and cutting it, which is effective in the short term but may actually promote future growth.  Herbicides can also be effective, but their lack of specificity means they tend to kill off surrounding vegetation and would be unsuitable on sites designated for nature conservation or as special scientific interest. Herbicides can also create spray drift hazards and leave residues in food commodities.

Seeking funds for phases

Developers CABI, a non-profit organisation, are seeking further funds from interested stakeholders to start phase one of what could become a three phase project. The first phase involves researching into whether a suitably specific and damaging native fungus occurs on Ragwort and can be exploited to control the plant.
 
Phase 2 will involve finalising the fungal active ingredient, formulating it into a spray and conducting field trials. And in phase 3, the spray will be registered and launched as a commercial product.
 
CABI plans to set up this project as a market-driven venture and to re-invest any income generated by the commercialised spray back into its other projects and consultancy work.
 
Ragwort is subject to the Weeds Act 1959. Under this Act, occupiers are required to prevent the spread of Ragwort (and other injurious weeds) where they represent a risk to animal welfare and agricultural activities.
 
CABI is world-renowned for its extensive work and successes in using living organisms to control pest species. Previous successes include the LUBILOSA project, which developed Green Muscle™, a highly successful fungal product used to control locusts and grasshoppers in Africa.
 
 
 
 

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