Characterizing nanomaterial penetration in cutworms as part of next generation Smart Crop Technology (SCT) development

Total project costs: $321,013

Alberta Grains funding: $20,065

Funding Partners: WGRF, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Grains, RDAR, SaskWheat, AAFC

Summary:

This project is part of a long-term effort to develop next generation crop treatments. The crop treatments will be highly targeted insect pest control with lower risks to non-target insects and beneficial insects.

This project studies the accurate delivery of specific molecules into target organisms. A sub-class of nanotechnology, called nano-carriers, can escort "cargo" such as nucleic acids for RNAi, into cells to achieve a desired biochemical effect. Such targeted delivery systems can lead to safer and more powerful agricultural pest control that are more pest-specific compared to current broad-spectrum pesticides.

The team developed methods to modify nanoparticles for their adherence to the surface of cutworms and penetration inside of cutworms. The methods used AI system to increase the speed of data analysis and reduce costs of such studies. The project lays the groundwork for future pesticides better at targeting insect pests while reducing impacts on beneficial insects.

Benefits to producers

This project lays the foundation for the development of next generation crop treatments. Compared to the broad-spectrum pesticides today, the next generation crop treatments will be capable of acting on a specific insect pest. They will also be programable to achieve rapid and flexible response to the new or involving insect pests.