Recipient Organization
LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED
1 RIVERSIDE CIR STE 400
ROANOKE,VA 24016
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Luna Innovations has developed next generation textiles for the control of agricultural insects that maximize plant growth, provide insect control, and minimize or eliminate the need for insecticides. These spacer fabrics have a unique geometry that provides additional separation between the insect and the plant, rendering the plant effectively invisible. It is expected that these textiles would satisfy a growing need for chemical-free insect control in the organic farming market.Luna's spacer textile has the following advantages:Provided a 97% reduction in budworm penetration vs. controlsProvided 100% protection against moth penetration vs. controlsDemonstrates excellent air and water transmission, adequate light transmissionDoes not interfere with plant growth or developmentDoes not require toxic chemical agentsLuna, in collaborationwith NCSU,will validate the insect control fabric against numerous insect threats and refine the design to provide the optimal level of protection for the targeted leafy green vegetables. Luna will engage local organic farmers in Virginia to provide third party evaluation of the textiles with their farming techniques.The final outcome of this project will be a reusabletextile product that can provide chemical free insect control for leafy green vegetables that improves the economic value/viability of US farming whileeliminating millions of pounds of pesticides per year.
Animal Health Component
25%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
25%
Developmental
75%
Goals / Objectives
The proposed research will satisfy two USDA strategic goals. The first strategic goal this technology will address is assisting rural communities to create prosperity so they are self-sustaining by capitalizing on opportunities presented by the Nation's efforts to mitigate climate change. The novel spacer fabrics are a new area of research and development that will aid in water conservation by creating a microclimate that will reduce water evaporation. In addition the use of the proposed technology will support a sustainable and competitive agricultural system by supporting the development of new domestic markets in products labeled as organic. Certified organic goods typically sell for higher costs and therefore provide increased returns for farmers. The second strategic goal addressed by the proposed research is to ensure that all of America's children have access to safe, nutritious and balanced meals by minimizing major diseases and pests that affect the health of the Nation's agriculture. The proposed technology will provide insect control and minimize or eliminate the need for insecticidesThis Phase II SBIR program will build on the development of novel spacer fabrics that provide an open structure that allows light, water and wind penetration while providing a tortuous path to prevent insect penetration. In the Phase I effort these textiles were evaluated with and without non-toxic (physical) insect killing agents, repellents, and/or insecticides. These spacer fabrics have a unique geometry that provides additional separation between the insect and the plant, rendering the plant effectively invisible. In addition, the spacer fabrics reduce contamination of the environment and food by the elimination of pesticide contact with the plants. Based on our feasibility studies, these spatial fabrics could be used for organic farming, row crops especially for high value plants, horticulture plant production, green house production, home gardening, and other applications. Luna's spacer textile has the following advantages:Provided a 97% reduction in budworm penetration vs. controlsProvided 100% protection against moth penetration vs. controlsDemonstrates excellent air and water transmission, adequate light transmissionDoes not interfere with plant growth or developmentDoes not require toxic chemical agentsObjective 1: Demonstrate benefits of spacer fabrics for insect controlOur team will demonstrate a 3D spacer fabric that prevents insect penetration, while maximizing light, air flow and moisture vapor transmission to provide optimum plant growth and development. Initial textile designs downselected from the Phase I will be investigated in long term growth studies, with an emphasis on aphid control. Various other insects will be evaluated with respect to their target plants. Results will be used to develop an optimized system for large scale production.Objective 2: Validate effects on plant growthLuna will evaluate the effects of the spacer fabrics on a series of organic crops including leafy green vegetables and vine products. This effort will entail the use of two full-partial growing seasons, the greenhouses at NCSU and with the help of local organic farmers in Virginia who will act as third party evaluators. Luna will engage MMC Textiles for trial production runs of polyester spacers in quantities large enough for small farms to properly apply as row covers or fencing. Chemically treated fabrics will be restricted to our private control plots / greenhouse systems.Objective 3: Large Scale Fabric Production for CommercializationOptimal spacer designs will be submitted to our industrial textile partner (e.g. MMC Textiles) for large scale production runs at their facilities. Luna expects to produce one primary spacer product based on the plant growth metrics, insect control studies and third party feedback with an option for secondary textile products specific to particular plants (e.g. vineyards, greens) or pest control needs. Members of Luna's team will engage commercial farm supply companies for licensing or product listing/distribution through their catalogues.
Project Methods
Insect and Greenhouse StudyThe laboratory and green house studies using our tomato plant bioassay will be conducted separately using four arthropod pests: (i) tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) neonates, (ii) mixed stages of green peach aphids (Myzus persicae), (iii) mixed stages of tobacco thrips (Frankiella fusca), and (iv) mix stages of the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). The tobacco budworm will either be reared on artificial diet (Bailey, Roe et al. 2001) or purchased from a commercial source as eggs (for neonates) or pupae (to produced adults and eggs). Green peach aphids will be reared in the laboratory on tobacco plants as described before by the Roe lab (Abdel-Aal, Roe et al. 1990). Tobacco thrips are maintained in the laboratory on beans and will be obtained from Dr. G. Kennedy in the Entomology Department at NC State University. The Roe lab has a collaborative project with Dr. Kennedy to study the transcriptome of thrips and to develop an RNAi control system for this insect in collaboration with industry. So the thrips will be available with some rearing support provided. Spider mites are available routinely year round as a common greenhouse infestation, currently a problem on our kudzu plants. Kudzu is a good source of spider mites because the weed is fast growing and already established for other research by the Roe laboratoryOutdoor TestingLuna will setup parallel studies in extended outdoor growth tests both at NCSU as well as at our Blacksburg, VA location. NCSU field studies will be conducted at two sites: (i) the Clayton, NC field crops experiment station and (ii) at the NC State University Organic Farming Facility, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro, NC. We also will have the option to conduct field studies just outside of the Dearstyne/Annex research facilities on the NC State University Campus. There is ample land for conducting the experiments planned and is already in use for the type of work planned in this proposal. Preliminary studies will be conducted on campus when possible (or as an alternative to the Clayton site) but this will depend on the level of insect pressure. We will obtain at least two field seasons of results with the ability in the second season to test any new textile designs that might be needed.Field studies will be conducted in small plots (approximately 7 x 7 meters) with the following crop plants in separate plots: tomato, lettuce, cabbage, and spinach. The textile(s) used in these studies will be those that demonstrated the best protection from caterpillars, aphids, thrips and spider mites in our lab and greenhouse studies. Cages will be constructed from 0.5 in white plastic PVC pipe (24"x24"x24") where all but one side of the cage will be covered with the textile; the uncovered side will be inserted over the plant and applied to the soil surface. Care will be taken to make sure the bottom of the cage is completely sealed to the soil to prevent insects or mites accessing the plant by this method. Five cages will be randomly assigned to plants in each plot. No pesticides of any type will be used within 50 m of the planting for at least 1 year before the start of the experiment and also during the experiment. After the start of the experiment, we will randomly examine 5 uncovered plants in each plot and the 5 covered plants for insects (species and developmental stage) and plant damage for at least 6 weeks. Plant damage will be recorded with photos. Insects found on the plants will not be removed. We will also determine plant quality each week by counting the number of leaves and measuring plant height. At the end of the experiment we will determine plant health using weight including roots and fruit production as appropriate. Cage extensions may be necessary for some plants during the course of the study to accommodate growth. Means separation tests will be conducted (P=0.05) between the covered and exposed plants for each insect species, for the number of leaves, plant height and plant weight for each crop plant type and considering separate and combined plot locations to determine the effectiveness of the textile for insect control versus any potential impact on plant growth. Insects will be identified to species by the NCSU insect/plant disease clinic if needed and voucher specimens established in our insect museum. If any plant diseases are found during the course of our studies either in or outside of the cages, these will be identified by appropriate specialists at NC State University. If insect pest populations are not significant on the uncovered plants in the studies described above, we have the option of applying a larger cage that would cover at least 5 caged and 5 uncaged plants. We could then artificially introduce an appropriate pest species to the larger cage. For one example for lettuce, we would allow cabagge looper, Trichoplusia ni, adults oviposit eggs in the larger cage. The choice of insects that would be artificially introduced will depend on the crop plant and what insect pests are available for each crop plant. If this work is needed, we will not examine more than one pest species per crop type.Aphid ControlAphids present multiple problems for leafy vegetables. First they suck the water and nutrients from the plant tissue, resulting in the curling of leaves and the demise of young plants. Secondly, they are often parasitized and the dead aphids do not rinse off the leaves. Third, aphids act as virus vectors often assisting in the introduction of diseases like lettuce mosaic. Finally, aphids deposit significant amounts of honeydew on the leaves, which foster the growth of sooty mold. To make matters worse, there are no systemic insecticides to control aphids. Natural methods for controlling aphid populations around organic crops take advantage of beneficial predators such as the Hippodamia convergens or convergent lady beetle. Members of Luna's team will investigate rearing lady beetles for use in aphid control, and determine if the spacer fabric provides a deterrent to migration of the insects leading to more effective control of aphid populations.Validate Spacer Design for Insect ControlDuring the Phase II effort, team members at the NCSU College of Textiles will use their knitting facilities to make narrow 6-8 inch test spacer fabrics (any length). These spacers will be used in the NCSU petri dish lab assay to evaluate spacers for penetration by a variety of insects. With their facility we can change thickness and pore size and chemists at Luna can incorporate chemical treatments withing the pile to develop optimum cloth parameters for mulitple pests species, caterpillars, spider mites, aphids, and thrips. This approach will be used to develop a mathematical model for each pest type that would describe cloth success, and the results can be leveraged into designing the second generation prototype spacers. New designs can be produced in larger scale as described in Task 4, and the prototypes evaluated in the second year of the Phase II program.Develop Study with Local Organic FarmsIn addition to Luna's field studies in Blacksburg and at NCSU, the developed textiles will be evaluated by third party farmers in the southwestern region of Virginia. Luna is deeply tied to its community here in Virginia and members of our team have reached out to numerous regional organic farmers through the local farmers' markets. In Phase II, we will supply novel textiles to these local growers on a limited basis for evaluation over their growing seasons with an emphasis on collecting feedback relative to advantages and disadvantages of using Luna's product. Properties of interest include, ease of use, insect defeat, crop quality, appearance, durability, and potential value/cost effectiveness.