Examining dsRNA pesticide durability on crop plants

通过现代技术进步实现可持续农业仍然是加拿大研究人员和种植者的首要任务。通过使用广泛的化学应用来保护植物，往往会导致对负责植物生长、发育和授粉的有益生物失去目标。拟议的Engage项目将支持初步研究，并在工业界和大学科学家之间建立桥梁，以调查双链RNA （dsRNA）农药分子在叶片表面和在相关细胞层中的存在的分子稳定性，耐久性和外显率的影响。我们将从分子的角度来研究这个问题。贝尔蒙特实验室在进行这些实验所需的方法方面发展了广泛的专业知识。这些研究是假设驱动的，将聘请一名兼职技术人员和一名暑期学生。这项工作的影响是实际的，导致对植物保护和病虫害管理的关键事件有更深的了解。这种影响也是理论上的，可能会改变我们对加拿大经济中最重要的农作物之一的农药稳定性和渗透性的理解。

Sustainable agriculture through modern technological advancements remains a top priority for researchers and growers in Canada. Plant protection through the use of broad-based chemical applications often results in the off-targeting of beneficial organisms responsible for plant growth, development and pollination. The proposed Engage project will support preliminary research and bridge relations between industry and University scientists to investigate the effect of molecular stability, durability and penetrance of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) pesticidal molecules on the leaf surface and presence in subtending cell layers. We will be studying this from a molecular standpoint. The Belmonte laboratory has developed extensive expertise in the methods required to carry out these experiments. The studies are hypothesis driven and will engage one part time technician and one summer student. The impact of this work is practical, leading to deeper understanding of events critical for plant protection and pest management. The impact is also theoretical and will likely change our understanding of pesticide stability and penetrability in one of the most economically important agricultural crops to the Canadian economy.