SBIR Phase I: Controlling plant pathogens with novel seed treatments based on nematode-produced ascarosides

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种新的植物种子处理技术，该技术基于被证明可以激活对各种农业重要病原体的天然防御的自然产生的小分子。所提议的作为植物保护剂的创新在非常低的浓度下(NM范围)有效，可以很容易地大量合成，并且是可生物降解的无毒的。为了养活2050年预计将超过90亿的世界人口，需要在作物生产和分配的所有阶段进行创新。每年使用600多种不同的化学杀虫剂(5亿公斤)耗资100亿美元，但37%的农作物仍被害虫破坏(昆虫13%，病原体12%，杂草12%)。通过提供一种替代的、有效的方法来管理主要农作物中的传染病，将减少对现有农用化学品如铜、合成杀菌剂和抗生素的依赖，抗药性的发展速度也将减少。其目标是通过减少潜在有害杀虫剂的使用来改善农业的经济和环境可持续性，并显著加强世界各地的粮食安全。这个SBIR项目的智力价值是通过利用一类在植物中引发特定免疫反应的自然产生的小分子来开发一种新的植物病原体控制方法。这些小分子在极低的浓度下被植物识别，它们的感知已被证明导致对拟南芥、番茄、马铃薯、大麦和小麦中的病毒、细菌、卵菌和真菌病原体的防御反应和增强的抗性。为了以商业种子处理的形式将创新推向市场，必须证明以下几点：能够长期稳定和有效的种子包衣配方，而不会对种子萌发或自然微生物/昆虫种群产生不利影响。拟议的第一阶段项目的重点将是优化目标化合物的合成，并开发一种稳定的、商业上可行的、对多种作物有效的配方。在初步验证之后，产品测试将进入温室和田间试验的体内药效测试。开发的种子处理产品将确立使用小分子信号激活植物免疫反应的技术和经济可行性，并展示它们在改善农业经济和环境可持续性方面的效用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 develop a novel seed treatment technology for plants, based on small naturally occurring molecules proven to activate natural defenses against a wide range of agriculturally important pathogens. The proposed innovation as a plant protectant is active at very low concentrations (nM range), can be readily synthesized in large quantities, and is biodegradable and non-toxic. To feed a projected world population of over 9 billion people in 2050, innovation will be required at all stages of crop production and distribution. Annual application of more than 600 different chemical pesticides (500 million Kg) costs $10 billion, and yet 37% of all crops are still destroyed by pests (insects 13%, pathogens 12%, weeds 12%). By providing an alternative, effective method for managing transmissible diseases in major crops, dependence on existing agrochemicals such as copper, synthetic fungicides and antibiotics will be reduced, as will the rate of resistance development. The goal is to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture by reducing the use of potentially harmful pesticides, and significantly enhance food security worldwide. The intellectual merit of this SBIR project is to develop a novel control for plant pathogens by leveraging a class of small, naturally occurring molecules that elicit specific immune responses in plants. These small molecules are recognized by plants at extremely low concentrations, and their perception has been demonstrated to result in defense responses and enhanced resistance to viral, bacterial, oomycete, and fungal pathogens, in Arabidopsis, tomato, potato, barley, and wheat. In order to bring the innovation to market in the form of a commercial seed treatment, the following must be demonstrated: a seed-coating formulation capable of long-term stability and efficacy, without adverse effect on seed germination or natural microbe/insect populations. The focus of the proposed Phase I project will be to optimize synthesis of the compound of interest and develop a stable, commercially viable formulation that is effective across a breadth of crops. Following initial validation, product testing will advance to in vivo efficacy testing in greenhouse and field trials. The seed treatment product developed will establish the technical and economic feasibility of using small-molecule signals to activate plant immune responses, and demonstrate their utility to improve economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture.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.