SBIR-STTR Award

Opportunity Herbicides since their advent in the early 1950's have been a tremendous and invaluable tool to production agriculture. Since that time the agricultural crop production market has changed considerably due to a number of technological innovations including the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) crops. Although surrounded by some controversy the ability to genetically engineer certain seeds to be resistant to specific herbicides or pesticides has revolutionized the market for several of the world's most important food products. It is estimated that nearly ninety percent of all corn and soybeans now grown worldwide are GMO's. Project Objectives: This project aims to develop an important tool which is currently non-existent. Specifically in this Phase I SBIR project we will optimize our prototype lateral flow assay (similar to a pregnancy test) for dicamba. Dicamba has been used for years however the recent development of dicamba-resistant and dual-resistant GMO soybeans to dicamba and glyphosate have left farmers with insufficient tools to protect sensitive fields from sprayer contamination or herbicide drift. Our approach is also highly innovative in that it utilizes a relatively new form of test reagent -DNA aptamers and novel reporting methods which will enable the farmer to quickly and inexpensively assay arbitrary water samples in the field. Anticipated Results and Commercial Applications By the end of the Phase I effort we will have established a novel platform for routine field testing of arbitrary water samples for dicamba. The test will have sensitivity relevant to monitoring spray equipment for residual herbicide which could devastate sensitive non- engineered crops. In addition to the much needed ability to test the cleanliness of spray equipment we will have created a more general assay tool to test leaves and roots for spray drift and for general research purposes. The test we propose developing will directly serve a multibillion dollar market and aid food producers and researchers to better understand crop science.

Herbicides since their advent in the early 1950's have been a tremendous and invaluable tool to production agriculture. Since that time the agricultural crop production market has changed considerably due to a number of technological innovations including the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMO) crops. Although surrounded by some controversy the ability to genetically engineer certain seeds to be resistant to specific herbicides or pesticides has revolutionized the market for several of the world's most important food products. It is estimated that nearly ninety percent of all corn and soybeans now grown worldwide are GMO's. Project Objectives: This project aims to develop an important tool which is currently non-existent. Specifically during Phase I we developed a prototype electrochemical aptamer-based sensor or "aptasensor" for the herbicide dicamba. Dicamba has been used for years however the recent development of dicamba-resistant and dual-resistant GMO soybeans to dicamba and glyphosate have left farmers with insufficient tools to protect sensitive fields from sprayer contamination or herbicide drift. Our approach is highly innovative in that it utilizes a relatively new form of test reagent – DNA aptamers and novel reporting methods which will enable the farmer to quickly and inexpensively assay spray tanks and equipment as well as arbitrary water samples in the field. Anticipated Results and Commercial Applications By the end of the Phase II effort we will have established a novel platform for routine field testing of arbitrary water samples for dicamba. The test will have a sensitivity relevant to monitoring spray equipment for residual herbicide which could devastate sensitive non- engineered crops. In addition to a handheld endpoint test using the electrochemical reader (much like a personal glucose meter) we are also in talks with major farm equipment manufacturers to develop a reversible "on-line" or real-time sensor that can be inserted into the boom of standard spray equipment. Both versions of these smart sensors will be able to collect time and location data via Bluetooth or LTE for precision farming and record keeping. The test(s) we propose developing will directly serve a multibillion dollar market and aid food producers and researchers to better understand crop science.