A major pest in domestic, public, and agricultural environments Solenopsis invicta, the Red imported fire ant (RIFA), is currently being controlled with food-based baits that also affect non-target organisms, many of which are beneficial. We propose the use blends of semiochemicals modifiers of RIFA… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will generate an Internet based system that will connect large groups of users with similar agricultural commodity interest. ISCA Tech will start with a system that will allow growers to easily collect and manage pest-monitoring data for… More

The goals of this PHASE II program are to further expand our Phase I findings to fully determine the major effects of pheromone source and application characteristics (i.e. the density of sources per area, the effect of formulation and release rate, and the amount of pheromone that needs to be… More

The goals of this PHASE II program are to further expand our Phase I findings to fully determine the major effects of pheromone source and application characteristics (i.e. the density of sources per area, the effect of formulation and release rate, and the amount of pheromone that needs to be… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will proceed with the development of a fully automated and integrated pest management (IPM) system. The goal of IPM is to minimize reliance on pesticides by emphasizing the moment-to-moment knowledge of the field situation to… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will proceed with the development of a fully automated and integrated pest management (IPM) system. The goal of IPM is to minimize reliance on pesticides by emphasizing the moment-to-moment knowledge of the field situation to… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mosquito-borne diseases are spreading worldwide. The monitoring of mosquito populations is an essential element in risk assessment of disease transmission. When monitoring, valuable time is often lost and accuracy compromised due to a series of procedural… More

Instead of proceeding with the traditional isolation and identification from hosts of individual mosquito attractants, ISCA created compositions mimicking the skin of the specific vertebrate host, the source of attraction which is then modified throughISCA's patented method. This is a novel… More

Instead of proceeding with the traditional isolation and identification from hosts of individual mosquitoattractants, ISCA created compositions mimicking the skin of the specific vertebrate host, the source ofattraction which is then modified throughISCA's patented method. This is a novel synthetic… More

To increase the ratio of combat to support personnel and to preserve the health of combat personnel. Accurate surveillance of disease carrying mosquitoes provides risk assessment for some of the most important military infectious diseases including malaria, leishmaniasis, dengue, and West Nile… More

The first line of defense against vector-borne diseases is vector control. Vector control requires constant monitoring of vector populations. Monitoring provides information about a vector's spatial and temporal distribution and is essential in establishing preventive measures against the pest.… More

The California date industry produces about 20,000 tons of dates annually with a gross value of about $50 million. The only significant pest of dates is the carob moth Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Pyralidae), a recent immigrant species and a key pest of the California date industry that can devastate… More

Gypsy moth, accidentally introduced in Massachusetts in 1868, is one of North America's most devastating forest pests. Pheromone mating disruption is a safe, organic approach to GM's control; however current formulations are not effective in controlling high density populations. In this Phase I ISCA… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project will demonstrate the feasibility of a novel MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technique of electrochemical polymerization of biomolecule-friendly conducting polymers to build functional bioreceptors. This research will… More

The gypsy moth (GM), Lymantria dispar, is one of North Americas most devastating forest pests, defoliating 75 million acres of northeast forest, and is steadily expanding its range into hardwood forests throughout the U.S. The USDA National Slow the Spread Project (STS) is expected to suppress… More

"The majority of grape growers in the eastern US grow grapes on farms of less than 100 acres for the production of grape juice, with most farms yielding less than $200,000 in farm income. Most of this acreage is grown under contract with National Grape Cooperative for processing into Welchs grape… More

"This USDA SBIR Phase I research and development project will result in an effective, long-lasting, sprayable formulation to eradicate Pectinophora gossypiella, the cotton pink bollworm (PBW) from the United States. Yield losses range from $85-$170 per acre, with annual losses about $21 million due… More

Humans take for granted their extraordinary visual abilities, however efforts to give such abilities to computers have meet with limited success thus far. Objects may be difficult for a computer to recognize/index because they are partly occluded, viewed from an unusual angle, because they blend… More

This Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) project will combine automated data gathering and processing of blood-fed-female mosquitoes in the field, at the traps level, using nanoscale sensors to detect and quantify West-Nile-Virus (WNV), identify the mosquito species and the host… More

This SBIR Phase II research project will fabricate nanosensory arrays using the Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technique. This electrochemical polymerization of biomolecule-friendly conducting polymers was developed and successfully tested to build functional, highly reliable nanosensors.… More

In this SBIR project we will develop an automated capability to quickly recognize and classify subjects in video imagery using soft biometrics. The system will have capability to translate video streams into probabilistic biometric metadata about the observed subjects (i.e. "With 82% confidence,… More

Valued at 1.7 billion in 2000, the US has the second largest citrus industry in the world. Among the pests plaguing the industry is the citrus leaf miner, which not only damages citrus plants, but opens the door for devastating diseases, including citrus canker. In response to consumer demand,… More

In this Phase II USDA SBIR we propose to research and develop a SPLAT CMMP solution that is effective and long-lasting, that can be applied in a cost-effective manner, and that can economically replace Malathion dusting. Specifically, we will work toward further increasing the longevity of SPLAT… More

The majority of grape growers in the eastern US grow grapes for juice on farms of less than 100 acres, yielding less than $200,000 in income. Most of this acreage is grown under contract with National Grape Cooperative for processing into Welch's grape juice and related products. Recently the grape… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II proposal seeks to develop an automated sensory system (AMSS) for gathering and processing of mosquitoes vectors of West-Nile-Virus-Fever (WNV). AMSS captures mosquitoes, macerates them with solvents, process the fluid using a sensory array,… More

The goal of the project is to provide control of an important insect pest of citrus trees(citrus leafminer that transmits a lethal citrus canker bacterium) for small and medium US citrus growers. This project is utilizing the sex pheromone of the citrus leaf miner and their Specialized Pheromone and… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a palmtop device to accurately detect and report in real-time the analytes, pathogens and contaminants in the field. The approach is to integrate (1) antibody functionalized conducting nanosensors; (2) an automated… More

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a slow-release sprayable formulation of a guava-based chemical compound with repellant activity to manage the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), an insect that is associated with the spread of the pathogenic agent that causes the deadly Citrus greening disease.… More

Conventional insecticide products are still the foundation of pest control in pome fruit production on the east coast. The insecticide landscape is changing rapidly with increasingly restricted use due to regulatory and consumer demands. Rapid suburban growth encroaches on pome production areas… More

In the United States, citrus orchards are plagued by two devastating invasive diseases introduced in the past decade. The first, citrus canker, is caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, a bacteria associated with citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera:… More

We seek an attractant for the asian citrus psyllid that can be formulated with ISCA's proprietary biodegradable matrix to provide an efficient attractant blend that is specific to ACP, creating a rain-fast product that sticks to foliage, protecting and releasing the active ingredient for more… More

Potato production in the US is being challenged by the introduction of a devastating new disease, the Zebra Chip (ZC) caused by a bacterium vectored by the potato psyllid.Here we propose the development of a handheld nanosensory ZebraChip detection system that is an easy to use, reliable… More

In areas where Oriental Beetle (OrB) is a pest, growers interested in producing blueberries for the organic market don't have a viable control solution. Here we propose to develop a revolutionary tool for the control of OrB at the adult stage: our Specialized Pheromone & Lure Application… More

Citrus canker, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri, a bacteria associated with citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) damage, and Huanglongbing (HLB) . Successful completion of this project will provide citrus growers with a valuable tool for… More

Our Phase I research and development in laboratory bioassays, wind tunnel, caged trees, and small field trials, indicates that different approaches are needed to maximize contact of the moth with the source containing the insecticide. We found that optimizing an attract and kill formulation that… More

Independent of the field (human health, agriculture, etc.) it is clear that early detection is the only solution to prevent epidemics. Our dual-mode nanosensory platform is a disruptive concept that utilizes two detection modes in a single biosensor chip. In the case of Citrus Tristeza Virus,… More

We are currently witnessing an unprecedented mountain pine beetle population expansion across North America, transforming some of our most productive pine forests into enormous wastelands composed of unhealthy and dead trees that contribute to the global greenhouse gas emissions. Currently there is… More

Small growers in Hawaii have the potential to produce an abundance of high value fruit and vegetables supplying for the needs of local island markets as well as the mainland markets. However, due to the insidious, unrelenting, high pressure of fruit flies, especially from the two key Bactrocera… More

Potatoes are the fourth most-consumed food crop in the world, after rice, wheat, and corn, and the leading vegetable crop in the US. Roughly four-fifths of the harvested potato crop is sold for fresh or processed consumption. Processed potatoes comprise 58 percent of total US potato utilization;… More

The majority of US citrus growers farm less than 100 acres, producing specialty table fruit and citrus juice, with most yielding less than $200,000 in yearly farm income. Furthermore, much of the citrus acreage is being encroached upon by urban growth, making it impossible for many growers to use… More

In Phase II, we intend to further evaluate possible ACP attractant components in order to obtain an optimized, highly effective attractant which will be formulated in SPLAT for use as a lure for monitoring (SPLAT ACPAB), and with a contact insecticide, to create a targeted attract & kill product… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a long lasting organic formulation to effectively manage and suppress populations of mosquito vectors of disease. The banning of DDT and other persistent mosquito larvicides several decades ago has created a major gap in… More

ABSTRACT: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Air Force Instruction 32-7064 require the Department of Defense (DoD) to manage the natural resources of each military reservation within the United States and to provide sustained multiple uses of those resources. Edwards AFB complies by preparing and… More