SBIR Phase I: Use of ultraviolet light as a treatment for pathogens in strawberry fields

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是，通过向农民提供管理植物病害（例如真菌）的可持续长期解决方案，同时减少农业对人类健康和环境的影响，加速从化学农药向非化学替代品的过渡。有机农场缺乏有效的杀菌剂处理方法，导致劳动力成本高，产量损失的风险增加。该项目将开发一种系统，利用紫外线作为化学处理的有效替代方法，为农民提供一种更健康、更环保的作物处理方法。该解决方案可以消除化学应用，减少劳动力需求，并增加农民的盈利能力。此外，作为该项目的一部分开发的技术将最大限度地减少人类对化学杀菌剂的接触，并大大减少现有农业处理方法造成的生态破坏。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在了解环境和物理变化如何影响露天草莓生产中紫外线的剂量。紫外线已经被证明可以有效地治疗包括灰霉病在内的病原体，对于灰霉病，除了手工采摘之外，没有有机的治疗方法。紫外光可以用作治疗病原体的非化学替代方法，但由于环境和物理变化会影响治疗剂量，因此在商业上不可行。过量施用会损害植株并降低产量，而施用不足则无效。该项目将通过开发在商业农场可靠应用紫外线处理所需的设备和预测软件来推进农业最佳实践。项目团队将建立测量多维辐照度曲线作为物理和环境因素函数的实验流程，然后使用经验数据建立变量与辐照度之间的函数关系。利用实时传感器反馈，处理系统可以自动调节暴露时间，并在开阔的田野中实现理想的处理剂量。通过发展维持紫外线处理剂量的能力，食品可以可靠地种植，而无需危险和昂贵的化学应用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to accelerate the transition from chemical pesticides to non-chemical alternatives by providing farmers with a sustainable, long-term solution for managing plant diseases (e.g., fungus), while reducing agricultural impacts on human health and the environment. Organic farms lack effective fungicide treatment methods resulting in high labor costs and increased risk of yield loss. This project will develop a system for using ultraviolet light as an efficient and effective alternative for chemical treatments, by providing farmers with a healthier and more environmentally-conscious method for treating crops. The solution may eliminate chemical applications, reduce labor requirements, and increase profitability for farmers. Additionally, technologies developed as part of this project will minimize human exposure to chemical fungicides and greatly reduce the ecological damage caused by existing agricultural treatment practices.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to understand how environmental and physical variabilities affect dosing of ultraviolet light in open-field strawberry production. Ultraviolet light has been shown to effectively treat pathogens including gray mold, for which there is no organically accepted treatment other than picking by hand. Ultraviolet light can be used as a non-chemical alternative for treating pathogens but is not commercially feasible due to environmental and physical variabilities that affect treatment dosing. Excessive dosing damages plants and reduces yield, while insufficient dosing is ineffective. This project will advance agricultural best practices by developing the equipment and predictive software necessary for reliably applying ultraviolet treatment on commercial farms. The project team will establish an experimental process for measuring multi-dimensional irradiance profiles as a function of physical and environmental factors, then use empirical data to establish functional relationships between variables and irradiance. Using real-time sensor feedback, the treatment system can automatically modulate exposure time and achieve desirable treatment dosing in open fields. By developing the ability of maintaining ultraviolet treatment dosages, food can be grown reliably without dangerous and costly chemical applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.