Development of sustainable solutions for crop protection and food security

开发作物保护和粮食安全的可持续解决方案

• 批准号: 10073391
• 金额: $ 6.36万
• 依托单位: PFBIO LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Grant for R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10073391
• 关键词: Development; sustainable; solutions; crop; protection

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.

生物控制剂是有益的微生物，用于作物与植物性疾病作斗争。微生物生活在植物上，并产生预防病原体/害虫侵袭的分子。这些“生物防治”产品已变得越来越广泛地使用，因为它们代表了合成农业化学物质的环保选择。此外，最近禁止最有害的农业化学物质，使种植者获得了农作物疾病管理的较少解决方案。尽管有好处，但障碍仍然是农业中生物防治产品的广泛采用，包括不一致的保护和漫长的发展时间。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可以在商业生长条件下生存并有效保护农作物的生物防治细菌。我们的创新还使我们能够确定基本的作用机制，从而导致农业领域的高质量产品产生。Berries是英国和全球最有价值的农作物之一，并且生产在很大程度上取决于合成真菌剂的使用。它们通常每周喷一次，以防止真菌和卵形疾病，例如葡萄干和冠状腐烂。如果未及时治疗植物，这些疾病将导致超过50％的草莓生产损失。从长远来看，持续喷涂会增加整个食物链中耐农药的病原体，从而增加生产损失和果实货架寿命的降低。当前，尚无生物解决方案可预防浆果中的冠状腐烂，而可用于控制葡萄球菌的生物防治产品具有有限的功效。拟议的项目旨在利用我们的创新技术来克服当前的生物学处理的局限性，并提供第一个完全有效的细菌溶液，以防止botrytis and Crown rot of Bererries中腐烂。我们的技术将使我们能够：\ [1 \]迅速识别最有效的生物防治剂，\ [2 \]迅速识别作用模式，\ [3 \]提供在靶向作物物种中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，增强产品货架寿命并减少相关的生态足迹。在Innovateuk的支持下，这项6个月的研究计划将提供在实验室和园艺环境中验证的原型产品。我们的新型生物控制方法有潜力以全球剥削潜力彻底改变园艺实践和粮食安全的未来。该项目将为PFBIO提供大量专家领导的增长，这是大量的投资回报率，增加了就业机会，并提供了进一步的研发投资机会。