Plant diseases caused by various pests result in massive crop losses; the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that annually between 20-40% of global crop production are lost due pest manifestation. Pesticides are the basis for defending against these threats. However, the extensive use of pesticides in agriculture causes these toxins to accumulate on crops, in soil, as well as in drinking and groundwater, severely endangering the ecosystem and human health. The first step toward a healthier society is to enhance food security by improving quality and yields (i.e. more effective crop treatment), while protecting the environment and agricultural ecosystems (i.e. preventing the leaching and accumulation of pesticides in the environment). Toward this goal we deploy biology-derived nanotechnologies as sustainable systems to increase agrochemical efficacy, while protecting the environment. Specifically, we utilize and repurpose the Tobacco mild green mottle virus (TMGMV), a type member of the plant virus tobamovirus group, as a nanotechnology platform for the delivery of active ingredients (a.i.). TMGMV is a 300 x 18 mm rod shaped virus and it is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency as a herbicide. It is comprised of 2,130 identical coat protein subunits, each of which displays three different functionalization sites (NH2, COOH and Tyr side chains). In this work, we focus on the establishment and refinement of chemical bioconjugation methods to load agrochemicals into or onto TMGMV for targeted delivery to plant pests. In one application we are interested to target nematodes and other pests residing in soil, and therefore a.i.-loaded TMGMV nanoparticles were assessed in soil mobility assay. The high aspect ratio shape along with the zwitterionic nature of the protein capsid render TMGMV a suitable platform with favorable soil mobility. These results further extend the understanding of the chemical properties of TMGMV and enable development of novel multifunctional platforms for pesticide delivery and precision farming.

Tobacco mild green mosaic virus as a multifunctional platform for efficient pesticide delivery

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.