PFI-TT: Naturally Derived Safe Adjuvant-Active Pesticide Formulations to Protect Crops from Fungal Diseases

这项创新-技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发有效/安全的农药系统，以保护作物免受真菌病的侵害。到2027年，作物保护化学品的需求预计将达到77亿美元以上。尽管采取了干预措施，但真菌病分别造成作物收获前10-23%和收获后10-20%的损失。这项研究将确定安全的，自然产生的分子，提供增强的杀真菌活性。该系统将开发用于解决灰葡萄孢病菌，灰葡萄孢病菌对500多种植物物种，特别是新鲜水果和蔬菜造成毁灭性疾病，并在全球造成100亿至1000亿美元的经济损失；然后，该项目将解决引起亚洲大豆锈病（SBR）的Phakopsora pachyrhizi。拟议的项目解决了根本性的困难，即虽然农业助剂可以提高农用化学品对抗植物病原体的效率，增加作物产量和生产力，但实现这一目标取决于杀菌剂-助剂的相对剂量、作物类型和喷雾配方的物理特性。后者对于促进活性佐剂配方粘到叶子上至关重要。该项目开发了soporolids （SL）修饰化学的能力，以生成化合物库。然后，高通量筛选试验将允许快速评估佐剂-杀菌剂的有益协同作用。同时，为了评估潜在的局部和全身毒性，选定的佐剂-杀菌剂组合将在成纤维细胞和肾细胞系上进行评估。SL类似物也将被测试对非致病性根瘤菌的代表性小组的生长抑制。此外，在植物中，植物毒性将使用离体叶试验方法进行研究。喷雾制剂的基本界面和物理特性将决定活性佐剂制剂粘附在叶子上的程度。天然成分和MSL结构特征导致与作物保护杀菌剂的相容性，将为更广泛的植物病原体和作物类型的扩展研究提供基础。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 Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the development of effective/safe pesticide systems to protect crops from fungal diseases. The demand for crop protection chemicals is expected to reach $77+ B by 2027. Despite interventions, fungal diseases cause the loss of 10–23% and 10–20% of crop pre- and post-harvest, respectively. This research will identify safe, naturally produced molecules that provide enhanced fungicidal activity. The system will be developed to address Botrytis cinerea, which causes devastating diseases on 500+ plant species, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, and results in economic losses ranging from $10 billion to $100 billion worldwide; the project will then address Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the cause of Asian soybean rust (SBR). The proposed project addresses the fundamental difficulty that, while agricultural adjuvants can improve the efficiency of agrochemicals against plant pathogens increasing crop yields and productivities, achieving this goal is dependent on fungicide-adjuvant relative doses, crop type, and physical characteristics of spray formulations. The latter is critical to facilitate the sticking of active-adjuvant formulations onto leaves. This project develops capabilities in sophorolipid (SL) modification chemistries to generate a library of compounds. Then, a high-throughput screening assay will allow rapid assessment of adjuvant-fungicide beneficial synergies. In parallel, to assess the potential for topical and systemic toxicities, selected adjuvant-fungicide combinations will be evaluated on fibroblast and kidney cell lines. SL analogs will also be tested for growth inhibition of a representative panel of non-pathogenic rhizobacteria. Also, in planta phytotoxicity will be studied using the detached leaf assay method. Fundamental interfacial and physical characterizations of the spraying formulation will determine the extent that active-adjuvant formulations stick onto leaves. Natural component and MSL structural characteristics that lead to compatibility with fungicides for crop protection will provide a foundation to inform expanded studies on a wider range of plant pathogens and crop types.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.