Success: Safer Pesticide Alternative Developed

Target: Professor Melanie Welham, Executive Chair of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Goal: Praise the development of a bacteria that could eliminate the need for harmful pesticides.

Dangerous pesticides could soon be phased out, thanks to the development of a living alternative. Researchers have found that a mutant strain of bacteria could accomplish the same results, without harming vital ecosystems. Praise the continuation of this important development.

“Through our work, we hope to make Burkholderia viable as an effective biopesticide, with the ultimate aim of making agriculture and food production safer, more sustainable, and toxin-free,” stated Eshwar Mahenthiralingam, a researcher at Cardiff University. Through their studies, he and his team have found that the bacteria protected plants against damping off — a soil-borne fungal disease that affects seeds. Further experiments revealed that Burkholderia did not persist in animals with lung infections, an important development due to living pesticides’ past association with cystic fibrosis in humans.

Petitions, such this one, have urged the UK to eliminate the use of harmful pesticides. The funding of this scientific development is a big step in the right direction. Sign below to thank Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council for their financial support.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Professor Welham,

Your recent financial backing of a living alternative to chemical pesticide could save lives. Though bacterial pesticides have failed in the past, researchers have recently discovered a mutant bacteria that is showing great promise. We want to thank you for investing in this important development.

Pesticides have long been associated with illness and death to both human and animal life. Potent pesticides run off into the larger environment or pollute the air, causing cancer and reproductive diseases in animals and humans. They have also been shown to harm honey bees, a species extremely important to the well-being of the entire world. The researchers at Cardiff University believe they have found a safe and effective alternative to these dangerous chemicals in the Burkholderia bacteria.

Thanks to your financial backing, the researchers can continue to develop this bacteria and move the UK one step closer to a pesticide-free existence.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: mwooten