Mission:
The Crop Bioprotection Unit conducts research to develop new biological control agents that replace or reduce the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides that are potentially harmful to the environment, and/or human and animal health. New technologies that utilize agricultural by-products in innovative ways to produce microbial biocontrol agents are also devised to open new markets for their use and to enhance their economic value. The Unit's research also fills critical knowledge gaps concerning the basic biology of both beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms associated with insects and plants.