An NRI scientist has suggested in a revised study that termites can now be killed without using any chemical insecticides which may pave way for the development of natural protective shield for wooden material and crops.
Ram Sasisekharan, Director of Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology at Massachusetts, has led the discovery of a novel method of blocking the immune system of these pests which helps them evade the deadly attacks of bacteria and fungi on their nests.
Ram Sasisekharan, Director of Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology at Massachusetts, has led the discovery of a novel method of blocking the immune system of these pests which helps them evade the deadly attacks of bacteria and fungi on their nests.Termites normally secrete a form of an antimicrobial protein into their nests to prevent these pathogenic infections which can kill them. Scientists have identified a naturally found derivative of glucose called GDL which blocks the effects of the protective protein.
"GDL is relatively simple to make chemically. Also it can be genetically engineered to be produced in plants. It is conceivable that GDL or GDL like compounds can be designed to be used in the field to protect things from termites," Sasisekharan told a news agency. Source
"GDL is relatively simple to make chemically. Also it can be genetically engineered to be produced in plants. It is conceivable that GDL or GDL like compounds can be designed to be used in the field to protect things from termites," Sasisekharan told a news agency. Source
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