Large-scale production and photostabilization of microparticle and nanoparticle-based delivery vehicles for plant immune aids

New approaches are required to secure our food supply in response to the growing world population, rapid diversification of pests, and accelerating weather-related impacts of climate change. Suncor has recently developed a new category of plant immune aids that activate a plant?s native immune system to induce a range of beneficial responses, including greater resistance to both pest-based and weather-based environmental stresses, while avoiding some of the downstream challenges associated with existing pesticide and fertilizer use. Through this collaboration with Dr. Todd Hoare’s lab at McMaster, these immune response triggering chemicals will be formulated into nano/microparticle-based controlled release vehicles that can provide longer-term protection for the plant (minimizing the dose required and the frequency of required re-application for the farmer) while overcoming some of the current challenges with promoting immune aid transport into plants and stabilizing the immune triggering chemicals in sunlight. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Todd Hoare

Student:

Lisha Zhao

Partner:

Suncor Energy Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Program: