Tomato, which can be cooked in various of ways
is one of the most common field crops.
However, something unusal is happening in the farmland...
a plant fungal disease caused by Botrytis cinerea , can infect a wide range of crops, including tomatoes.
The global tomato production in 2021 was about 189 million tons.
Among them, China's planting annual output ranks first in the world,reaching 68 million tons.
Up to 60 % reduction in severe cases due to tomato gray mold.
At present, people tend to use chemical pesticides to solve the problem.
But there are still problems with their use that cannot be ignored:
make the fungus
resistant to drug
remain in the soil
cost extra money
to undo the effects
This is not a simple bead
The main component is CPP-shRNA, whose shRNA can trigger the RNAi process, so as to specifically target and silence the growth essential genes or infection key genes of B. cinerea.
The engineered B. subtilis is able to express the immune inducing factors, thereby stimulating the tomato's natural immune system to improve resistance to gray mold.
After dissolving into water,
PolycoBead can be sprayed on the tomatoes to play its role.