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

这个小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（mycoherbicides）的独特组合，以提供一种安全、针对宿主、价格合理的化学除草剂替代品。该项目将研究如何满足作为杀菌剂的植物病原真菌的关键环境要求，从而使杀菌剂在农业上广泛使用具有实用性和商业可行性。杀菌剂的一个主要限制是需要严格的湿度和温度范围，以便在现场有效。该项目将通过延长（模拟）露期和调节植物表面温度来解决温度和湿度要求（这对杀真菌剂的有效性至关重要）。新颖和创新的封装技术将水和/或营养液与微封装相变材料（microPCMs）结合起来，这种材料是由Triangle R&amp；D在1984年至1996年的多个SBIR项目中开发的，其形式可以成功地应用于该领域。将选择一个真菌病原体/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相容性。然后，该项目将设计和制造水微胶囊，以提供一系列的水分覆盖期，设计和制造微pcm，以提供最佳温度范围，并评估微胶囊材料单独和组合，以提高杀菌剂的杂草控制效果。许多有前途的杀菌剂由于与野外环境条件不相容而被放弃。如果成功，该工作将显著改善现有的杀菌剂，更新以前废弃的杀菌剂的开发，并在农业和环境系统中创造广泛的应用。这将为占据目前年销售额超过70亿美元的除草剂行业的一部分开辟道路。＊＊＊

*** 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. ***