Defeating Boytrytis in grapevines with siRNAs

Trees vines and bushes are plagued by pathogens causing over $100B in annual damage.Fungi are of particular concern causing 80% of pathogen-related crop losses. For certain especiallydamaging fungi like Boytrytis cinerea there are no varieties with natural resistance in its hostrange. As B. cinerea is estimated to cause over $10B in annual damage there is a strong driver foreffective control solutions especially ones more environmentally friendly than conventionalchemical fungicides.Silvec Biologics has developed a proprietary process that it believes can be used to defeat awide variety of fungi based on a novel delivery vector that has already been proven in model plantsto provide resistance to several viruses and bacteria.Silvec has identified 4 objectives that must be overcome to defeat fungi using its proprietarytechnology: (1) identify siRNAs compatible with its delivery vector and can silence the expressionof critical genes in B. cinerea in vitro; (2) demonstrate that its vector-derived siRNAs are able tosuppress pathogenicity of B. cinerea in N. benthamiana; (3) demonstrate that its vector can controlthe preharvest and postharvest diseases of grapevines caused by B. cinerea in greenhouse and fieldtrials; and (4) replicate the process for additional fungi including U. necator.Objectives (1) and (2) are the focus of this Phase I while Objectives (3) and (4) are the focusof Phase II. If successful the results could be transformative for US agriculture and save growersbillions of dollars per year from reduced fungicides and increased yields.