Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable and resilient agriculture is integral to feeding our ever-expanding population. Our research focuses on two main challenges in sustainable agriculture, health of native species and new tools for pesticide delivery.
Increasing global movement of people and goods often results in an increase in the spread of non-native species. With no native predators, these invasive species can inflict major environmental changes, and damage to crops or food sources. Varroa destructor mite is an invasive pest that has recently been detected in Europe that is causing colony collapse disorder in native European bee populations. This parasitic mite feeds on adult bees, often transferring Nosema apis fungus which causes nosemosis (a disease in bees). The symptoms of this disease are very similar to other diseases, which makes it difficult to detect. Furthermore, traditional insecticidal control measures are unsuitable for controlling this invasive pest, due to the proximity of this pest species with the beneficial bee species, therefore new strategies are required. Bee colonies are often seen as super organisms, where the interconnected nature of the individual bees within a colony creates a larger living system. An integral component to the health of this system is the 3D temperature, where the temperature range maintained within the hive is well regulated. By monitoring temperature fluctuations within the hive, the health of the hive can be determined. Furthermore, by modifying the temperature of the hive the fertility of the invasive pests can be manipulated. Our research works to create arrays that can monitor and manipulate the temperature of beehives, in order to boost hive health.
The second project "ESCApe. - Biobased and Biodegradable Microcarriers for Drug Delivery in Plants and for Sustainable and Ecological Control of the Globally Occurring Grapevine Disease ESCA and other Plant Diseases" is being carried out at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research since March 2021 through EXIST funding. The EXIST funding scheme aims at spinning out a new company from fundamental research projects.
In agriculture, most plant diseases are treated by large-scale surface application ("spraying") of chemicals. This approach not only pollutes groundwater and wildlife, but is also ineffective against many diseases because the causative fungi or bacteria live inside the plant, destroying it from the inside and therefore immune to surface treatments. In grapevine cultivation, for example, the fungal disease "Esca" causes millions in damage to winegrowers around the world every year. The fungi attack the grapevine trunks and decompose the wood from the inside - conventional sprays are therefore unable to reach the fungi.
Inspired by effective treatment methods in modern human medicine, we have developed special microcarriers that are capable of encapsulating crop protection agents and can be injected directly into the plant. With this method, the fungi can be controlled on the spot and the amount of pesticide required is drastically reduced. Our lignin microcarriers consist of a shell of lignin, a substance that, along with cellulose, forms the main component of wood. The particles are smaller than one ten-thousandth of a meter and are produced using patented chemical processes from biobased and biodegradable raw materials and can be loaded with fungicides. The prepared microcarriers are injected directly into the stem of the plants. When a grapevine is attacked by a fungus, the fungus decomposes not only the stem but also the lignin microcarriers at the same time, releasing the fungicide and allowing it to fight the fungal attack on the spot with maximum efficiency. The technology thus offers the long-term potential to use crop protection products in a more targeted manner, drastically reducing the amount needed. With our first application against Esca in grapevine plants, we offer with our technology the first curative application for existing Esca infestations, against which there is no effective remedy so far, and address a cost problem relevant for the wine industry. The proof-of-principle of the technology has already been demonstrated in the laboratory and in initial field tests, and large-scale field studies are currently underway to obtain approval for the first commercial product. The goal is now to further develop the technology into a scalable and marketable product and to establish a reliable value chain up to the foundation of a company in an interdisciplinary team of biologists, winemakers, business and chemistry professionals.
More on: https://sites.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/escape
