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When these oomycetes are infected by certain mycoviruses, however, their ability to cause disease can be weakened -- a phenomenon known as hypovirulence -- making mycoviruses potential biocontrol agents.

Denver and his co-authors -- biologists and crop and soil scientists at OSU -- note that the history of biocontrol of agricultural pests is somewhat checkered, in part because unintended consequences for non-target species remain understudied and hard to predict.

One biocontrol effort involving the introduction of a non-native snail, they point out, led to the extinction of hundreds of native snail species on Hawai'i and other Pacific islands.

"Beyond factors like rising global temperatures and habitat loss, gastropods have historically suffered greatly from poorly designed and executed biocontrol attempts."

The scientists conclude that sunflower stem extracts could be used as a natural biocontrol agent to prevent postharvest disease in fruit.