Development of novel biopesticide products for insect plant pests

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Nutrilife® Plant Products, is a leading Canadian manufacturer of plant nutrients and pest management products for cannabis plants. Since 2014, the medicinal cannabis market has been growing and is set to expand even more rapidly in 2020 with legalized production, distribution and sale of cannabis for recreational purposes. With the recent changes in the cannabis industry, Health Canada (PMRA) has introduced new regulations for pesticide use for pest management in cannabis production. Maintenance of a stable supply chain of cannabis production for recreational and medical markets will require sustainable tools for pest management. Strict regulation by Health Canada regarding use of unauthorized pest control products makes the need to use certified products critical. Cannabis plants are subject to the attack of several pests and fungal diseases, particularly two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) and powdery mildew (Erysiphales spp.). Growing concerns regarding pesticide residues in commodities for human consumption has created consumer demand for natural products as alternatives to synthetic chemical-based pesticides. Nutrilife® manufactures and markets naturally-derived products for pest management. This project will enable development and testing of NutriLife's new formulations and build associated efficacy data for registration of a novel foliar spray based on plant ingredients (i.e. essential oils) that has fungicidal and insecticidal properties. We will engage in mortality, repellent and phytotoxicity studies using tomatoes and industrial hemp as proxies for cannabis. Cannabis represents just one of the potential agricultural markets (i.e., greenhouse crops) that will benefit from access to a safe, non-toxic and effective bio-pesticide manufactured with natural ingredients. Validation and testing of Nutrilife's new formulation will provide an alternative to synthetic chemical-based products for cannabis in addition to a range of other horticultural crops.