Polymer nanoparticle coatings on bacteria

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Microbes are a natural alternative to synthetic chemicals for improving the health of agricultural crops. They work by both helping plants grow better and protecting them from pests. Agricultural microbials are estimated to be a $10 billion USD market by 2023. The primary challenge with microbial-based products is keeping them alive from when they are made to when they are used on the farm. Vive Crop Protection currently has five agricultural products based on their patented nanoparticle delivery system for synthetic chemical crop protectors. They are extending their technology to the encapsulation of microbial-based agricultural products to help improve microbe viability from formulation and packaging, during storage and transportation to final application in the field. This collaboration with Professors David McMillen and Cynthia Goh at the University of Toronto will help characterize the encapsulated microbes that Vive is making and identify the key features from Vive process that leads to improved microbe viability.**