Delivery of nematicides to control plant parasitic nematodes by using Tobacco mild green mosaic tobamovirus as a nanocarrier

We have developed a bioinspired nanoparticle technology using the coat protein (CP) assemblies ofTobacco mild green mosaic tobamovirus (TMGMV) to deliver nematicides to roots reduce dosageand improve soil mobility efficacy and safety. The CP's zwitterionic nature allows the loading andrelease of nematicides. The TMGMV-delivered nematicides (TDN) are efficacious againstCaenorhabditis elegans in liquid cultures and the TMGMV-assisted delivery enhances thenematicide's soil mobility compared to the free nematicide and contemporary syntheticnanoparticles. With this foundation we will use experimental and computational approaches tooptimize nematicide payloads in TMGMV and assess the efficacy of TDN in vitro and in soil.Abamectin azadirachtin and fluensulfone will be studied tailoring their loading and release byusing counterions and covalent chemistries. The effective concentration (EC50) of TDN vs. freenematicides will be compared against C. elegans. Soil behavior will be modeled to predict thediffusion profiles of TDN and validated with soil leaching experiments considering soil grain sizepH temperature and organic matter concentration. The loading dose and application rate requiredto treat crops in different settings will be determined from studying the efficacy of TDN vs. freenematicides using potted tomato plants infested with Meloidogyne incognita.Besides proof of concept and feasibility of delivering registered commercially used nematicidesrather than model compounds in Phase I we will establish the applicability of TMGMV as apesticide delivery platform to target plant and environmental pests. Phase II objectives will aim todevelop test and gather registration data and design an industrial process to mass-produce thedesired TDN formulations. In Phase III commercial products will be launched.