Research
In collaboration with several research institutes and companies, e~nema is involved in the following research projects:
Institute for Phytopathology, University Kiel
By closely co-operating with the institute for Phytopathology of the University Kiel, e-nema has
access to additional technical and analytical equipment. Furthermore, by offering research topics for MSc and PhD
theses at e-nema, existing processes can be further optimised or new products can be developed. Subsequently,
e~nema can transform new discoveries quickly into applied biotechnology.
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Bacillus thuringiensis - Project
Within this project, supported by the German environmental fund (DBU), e~nema is developing a product to control
leatherjackets (larvae of craneflies Tipula spp.) in collaboration with two companies in southern Germany. Since
the use of the respective chemical insecticide was banned, interest in a biological alternative has increased.
Leatherjackets live in the upper soil layer in turf, lawn and pasture and are a prey of birds, which while foraging
for the larvae can cause severe damage to turf, especially on golf courses. The bacterial toxin of
Bacillus thuringiensis, which is already widely used in many other areas, is currently
being tested for its effectiveness against leatherjackets.
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Cockroach - Project
In this project the Association for Industrial Research (AiF) supports the development of methods
to use nematodes for controlling cockroaches and woodlice. The work is done in close collaboration
with the Botanical Garden Berlin. Since woodlice and cockroaches are not primarily soil-living organisms,
a baiting technique has to be developed to ensure contact of the pest with a sufficiently high number
of infective nematodes. Unlike bait stations which kill or glue the entering insects, the
nematode-infected insects can leave the bait station again. Hence the station is not filled up with
dead insects and can therefore be used for a longer period.
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Verticillium - Project
The institute for Microbiology of the University of Rostock is working on bacteria
of the root zone of plants, the rhizosphere. In collaboration with the company e~nema the potential of using
these bacteria to protect crop plants from fungal diseases is evaulated. Partly, these fungal diseases
are difficult or impossible to control with chemical fungicides, since they primarily grow inside the
crop plants, e.g. the causal agent for the wilt disease, Verticillium dahliae. This fungus attacks a
wide range of plants including oilseed rape and strawberries, but also olive trees or trees planted
in parks and cities. In MSc and PhD thesis, research on the potential and the bottlenecks of using
rhizosphere organisms for the biological plant protection is being carried out. E~nema is concentrating
on the production and formulation of microorganisms which have shown potential to become a viable product.
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