System For Biologic Control of Soybean Cyst Nematode

The overall goal of the proposed project is to establish a new biopesticide product for soybean cyst nematode (SCN). The new biopesticide product builds on our minimum viable prototype bioreactor system for delivery of Pseudomonas spp. as a beneficial microbial inoculant. By providing production agriculture with more and better microbial products, our dependence on more costly chemical pesticides will be reduced, increasing the efficiency of production and lowering input costs to growers.Specific to the Phase I portion of this effort, two overarching goals include: 1) create a bioreactor system with adequate performance and stability that is capable of being commercialized at scale, and 2) qualify additional Pseudomonas spp. strains with SCN suppressive capability in the system. Each goal and supporting project objectives are discussed below.Goal 1: Create a bioreactor system capable of being commercialized at scaleThe technical objectives include:Objective 1: maximize cellular yields
of the solid and liquid phases of the bioreactorObjective 2: characterize the stability and compatibility of new formulationsThe tasks for the first objective include testing key design variables impacting the number and stability of bacterial cells produced by the bioreactor, in order to maximize cellular yield and viability of inocula produced. This includes testing various beneficial Pseudomonas spp. strains from The Ohio State University's (OSU) collection, both as single strains and as consortia in the system.The task for the second objective involves testing the stability of the bioreactor contents to changes in supply chain conditions (primarily temperature) to evaluate storage stability lifetime. Also, the second objective involves evaluating the ability of various beneficial strains to tolerate mixing with various classes of fertilizers and pesticides that customers might wish to tank mix and/or co-apply with them.Goal 2: Qualify performance of bacteria strains with SCN
suppressive capabilities in system Objective 3: evaluate relative efficacy on SCN in greenhouse and field situationsThe tasks for the third objective involve screening a subset of formulations for SCN suppression, enhanced plant growth, and yield under greenhouse and field conditions. This will allow an assessment of which strain(s) is most competitive in field situations at controlling SCN populations.Through these tasks, we will determine the formulation parameters, which will form the basis for biopesticide registration with US EPA. Thus, the proposed Phase I work will lead directly to Phase II trials and product evaluations to support biopesticide registration, which will involve extensive field-based testing beyond Ohio of the new formulations arising from Phase I. The Phase II work will accurately quantify field performance in a large-scale, regional testing program as well as further replicated trials in university field plots.