SBIR Phase I: Regulation of Moisture and Thermal Microenvironments to Improve Mycoherbicides

*9661632布莱恩特这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将研究微胶囊技术和材料与生物除草剂(霉菌除草剂)的独特组合，以提供安全、特定于宿主、负担得起的化学除草剂替代品。该项目将研究如何满足用作除菌剂的植物病原真菌的关键环境要求，从而使除菌剂具有实用性和广泛农业用途的商业可行性。杀菌剂的一个主要限制是需要有很高的湿度和温度范围，才能在田间发挥作用。该项目将通过延长(模拟)露期和调节植物表面的温度来解决温度和水分要求(这两个要求对杀菌剂的有效性都至关重要)。新颖和创新的封装技术将把水和/或营养溶液与微胶囊相变材料(微PCM)结合在一起，这种微胶囊相变材料(MicroPCM)是由三角研发公司从1984年到1996年在多个SBIR项目上开发的，其形式可以在现场成功应用。将选择真菌病原体/杂草病理系统作为模型系统，并评估微胶囊材料与真菌病原体和目标杂草的兼容性。然后，该项目将设计和制造水微胶囊以提供一系列湿度覆盖期，设计和制造微相变材料以提供最佳温度范围(S)，并对微胶囊材料进行单独和组合评估，以提高除草剂的除草效果。许多有希望的杀菌剂已经被废弃，因为它们似乎与田间的环境条件不相容。如果成功，拟议的工作可以显著改善现有的霉菌除草剂，重新开发以前被废弃的霉菌除草剂，并在农业和环境系统中创造广泛的应用。这将导致获得除草剂行业的一部分，该行业目前的年销售额超过70亿美元。***

*** 9661632 Bryant This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate the unique combination of microencapsulation techniques and materials with biological herbicides (mycoherbicides) to offer a safe, host-specific, affordable alternative to chemical herbicides. The project will study ways to meet the critical environmental requirements of plant pathogenic fungi used as mycoherbicides and thus to make mycoherbicides practical and commercially viable for widespread agricultural use. A major limitation of mycoherbicides has been the need for fastidious moisture and temperature ranges in order for them to be effective in the field. This project will address the temperature and moisture requirements (both vital to the effectiveness of mycoherbicides) by extending (simulating) dew periods and regulating temperature on the plant surface. Novel and innovative encapsulation techniques will combine water and/or nutrient solutions with microencapsulated phase change materials (microPCMs)- developed by Triangle R&D on multiple SBIR programs from 1984 to 1996 - in a form that can he successfully applied in the field. A fungal pathogen/weed pathosystem will be selected as a model system and evaluated for compatibility of microencapsulated materials with the fungal pathogen and target weeds. The project will then design and fabricate water microcapsules to provide a range of moisture coverage periods, design and fabricate microPCMs to provide the optimum temperature range(s) and evaluate microencapsulated materials alone and in combinations to improve the weed control efficacy of the mycoherbicide. Many promising mycoherbicides have been abandoned because of their seeming incompatibility with environmental conditions in the field. If successful, the proposed work could significantly improve existing mycoherbicides, renew the development of previously abandoned mycoherbicides, and create broad applications in agriculture and environmental systems. This would lead the way to capturing a portion of the herbicide industry, which currently has annual sales in excess of 7 billion dollars. ***