11 COMMERCIALIZATION
Industrialization of biocontrol agents requires linkage between corporate and academic bodies. The success and commercialization of a scientific innovation depends on the availability of the technology to the end users. It depends on the linkages between the scientific organization and industries. Biocontrol technology could become as a successful component of plant protection only when it is commercialized.
11.1 Stages of commercialization
Stages of commercialization include isolation of antagonist, screening, pot test and field efficacy, mass production and formulation development, fermentation methods, formulation viability, toxicology, industrial linkages and quality control (Sabitha Doraiswamy et al., 2001).
11.1.1 Isolation of antagonist
Isolation of an effective strain plays a prime role in disease management. It is done from the pathogen suppressive soils either by dilution plate technique or by baiting the soil with fungal structures like sclerotia of pathogen. Consortium of biocontrol agents could be established by isolating the location specific and crop specific isolates. It could be used for the development of mixtures of biocontrol agents suited for different ecological niche.
11.1.2 Screening of antagonist
All the strains isolated from the different cropping system have to be ascertained for its virulence and broad spectrum of action against different pathogens causing serious economic threat to cultivation. Selection of an effective strain decides the viability of the technology. Hence a proper yardstick should be developed to screen the antagonistic potentiality of the biocontrol agents. In vitro screening of the antagonist through dual culture technique alone could not be an effective method for strain selection. To be an effective antagonist it should possess a high level of competitive saprophytic ability, antibiosis, should have the ability to secrete increased level of cell wall lytic enzymes (chitinases, glucanases and proteases), antibiotics and plant growth promotion. Hence the yardstick should be developed, comprising of above-mentioned components. Each component should be given weightage depending upon their role in disease management. This type of rigorous and meticulous screening will lead to