Development of sustainable solutions for crop protection and food security

生物防治剂是应用于作物以对抗植物疾病的有益微生物。微生物生活在植物上，并产生防止病原体/害虫入侵的分子。这些“生物防治”产品正得到越来越广泛的使用，因为它们是合成农用化学品的一种环境友好型选择。此外，最近对最危险的农用化学品的禁令使种植者对作物病害管理的解决方案减少。尽管有这些好处，但在农业中广泛采用生物防治产品仍然存在障碍，包括保护不一致和开发时间长。我们的目标是通过使用我们的新技术来克服这些障碍，该技术使我们能够快速识别能够在商业种植条件下存活并有效保护作物的生物防治细菌。我们的创新还使我们能够确定潜在的作用机制，从而为农业部门生产高质量的产品。浆果是英国和全球最有价值的作物之一，生产严重依赖合成杀菌剂的使用。它们通常每周喷洒一次，以防止真菌和卵菌病害，如葡萄孢和冠腐病。如果不及时治疗，这些疾病会造成超过50%的草莓产量损失。长期持续喷洒会增加整个食物链中的抗药性病原体，导致产量损失增加，水果保质期缩短。目前，没有生物解决方案可用于预防浆果冠腐病，而那些可用于控制葡萄孢的生物控制产品的效果有限。拟议的项目旨在利用我们的创新技术来克服当前生物处理的局限性，并提供第一个完全有效的基于细菌的解决方案来预防葡萄孢和浆果冠腐病。我们的技术将使我们能够：[1]快速识别最有效的生物控制剂，[2]快速识别作用模式，[3]提供对目标作物物种具有最佳活性的产品。最终，生物防治产品将支持浆果种植者，为更可持续的农业实践做出贡献，降低成本，延长产品保质期，并减少相关的生态足迹。在InnovateUK的支持下，这个为期6个月的研究项目将提供一个在实验室和园艺环境中验证的原型产品。我们的新方法，以生物控制发现有可能彻底改变未来的园艺实践和粮食安全与全球开发潜力。该项目将为PfBIO带来显著的专家主导的增长，可观的投资回报率，增加就业机会，并为研发投资提供更多机会。

Biological control agents are beneficial microbes that are applied to crops to fight plant disease. Microbes live on the plant and produce molecules that prevent pathogen/pest invasion. These "biocontrol" products are becoming more widely used, as they represent an environmentally friendly option to synthetic agrichemicals. In addition, recent bans on the most hazardous agrochemicals have left growers with fewer solutions for crop disease management. Despite their benefits, barriers remain to the widespread adoption of biocontrol products in agriculture, including inconsistent protection and long development times. We aim to overcome these barriers by using our novel technology that allows us to quickly identify biocontrol bacteria that can survive and effectively protect crops under commercial growing conditions. Our innovation also allows us to identify the underlying mechanism of action, leading to the generation of high-quality products for the agricultural sector.Berries are one of the most valuable crops in the UK and globally, and production is heavily dependent on the use of synthetic fungicides. They are usually sprayed once a week to prevent fungal and oomycete diseases such as Botrytis and crown rot. These diseases are responsible for over 50% of strawberry production loss if plants are not promptly treated. Long term, persistent spraying increases pesticide-resistant pathogens throughout the food chain, causing increased production losses and a reduction of the fruit shelf life. Currently, no biological solutions are available to prevent crown rot in berries, while those biocontrol products that are available to control Botrytis have limited efficacy.The proposed project seeks to utilise our innovative technology to overcome the limitations of current biological treatments and deliver the first fully effective bacterial-based solution to prevent Botrytis and crown rot in berries. Our technology will allow us to: \[1\] quickly identify the most effective biocontrol agents, \[2\] rapidly identify modes of action, \[3\] provide products that have optimal activity in the targeted crop species. Ultimately, the biocontrol product will support berry growers, contributing to more sustainable farming practices, reducing costs, enhancing product shelf-life, and decreasing the associated ecological footprint.With InnovateUK support, this 6-month research programme will deliver a prototype product validated in both lab and horticultural settings. Our novel approach to biocontrol discovery has the potential to revolutionise the future of horticultural practice and food security with global exploitation potential. The project will deliver significant expert-led growth for PfBIO, a substantial ROI, increased employment, and further opportunities for R&D investment.