SBIR Phase II: Use of ultraviolet light as a treatment for pathogens in strawberry fields

这一小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力旨在通过为农民提供可持续的长期虫害管理解决方案，同时减少农业对人类健康和环境的影响，加速从化学农药向非化学替代品的过渡。今天，草莓种植者依赖化学农药，每年在超过60，000英亩的土地上花费2，500美元/英亩，以支持36亿美元的美国草莓产业。占该行业10%的有机农场缺乏有效的处理方法，导致劳动力成本高，产量损失的风险增加。该项目旨在开发一种系统，利用紫外线作为化学农药的高效和同等有效的替代品，通过为农民提供更健康和更环保的作物处理方法来扰乱农药制造业。该解决方案可以消除与化学品应用相关的不确定性，减少劳动力需求，并增加农民的盈利能力。此外，作为该项目的一部分开发的技术将最大限度地减少人类接触化学农药，并减少现有农业处理方法造成的生态破坏。该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二期项目旨在进一步开发一种新型的非化学处理系统，用于农业害虫控制的商业化。该系统将为全球840亿美元的化学农药市场提供具有成本竞争力的替代品。现有的害虫控制由于昆虫抗性而无效，导致不确定性，并导致产量和盈利能力降低。该项目的目标是创造一种可靠的非化学处理替代品，使用紫外线（UV-C）光来有效和可持续地控制多种害虫。项目团队将建造一个具有剂量控制算法的UV-C处理设备，以便在最短的处理时间内实现可靠的害虫控制。该剂量控制器将使用新的体积辐照度曲线来表征治疗的有效性，并调整治疗时间和/或距离以考虑现场不确定性。该研究的目标是将商业UV-C处理系统集成到自动虫害控制系统中。该奖项反映了NSF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 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to accelerate the transition from chemical pesticides to non-chemical alternatives by providing farmers with a sustainable, long-term solution for managing pests, while reducing agricultural impacts on human health and the environment. Today, strawberry farmers are reliant on chemical pesticides, spending $2,500/acre on over 60,000 acres/year to support the $3.6 billion U.S. strawberry industry. Organic farms, representing 10% of the industry, lack effective treatment methods resulting in high labor costs and increased risk of yield loss. This project seeks to develop a system for using ultraviolet light as an efficient and equally effective alternative for chemical pesticides, disrupting the pesticide manufacturing industry by providing farmers with a healthier and more environmentally conscious method for treating crops. The solution may eliminate uncertainty associated with chemical applications, reduce labor requirements, and increase profitability for farmers. Additionally, technologies developed as part of this project will minimize human exposure to chemical pesticides and reduce the ecological damage caused by existing agricultural treatment practices.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to further develop a novel, non-chemical treatment system for commercialization of agricultural pest control. This system will provide a cost competitive alternative to chemical pesticides, a global $84 billion market. Existing pest controls are ineffective due to insect resistance, cause uncertainty, and result in reduced yield and profitability. This project’s objective is to create a reliable, non-chemical treatment alternative that uses ultraviolet (UV-C) light to control multiple pests effectively and sustainably. The project team will build a UV-C treatment device with a dosing control algorithm for achieving reliable pest control in minimum treatment time. This dosing controller will use novel volumetric irradiance profiles to characterize the effectiveness of a treatment and adjust treatment time and/or distance to account for field uncertainties. The goal of this research is be a commercial UV-C treatment system integrated into an automated pest control system.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.