Home | UAlberta - iGEM 2023

DID
YOU
KNOW?

The agriculture
industry is a
substantial driving
force behind the
Canadian economy

To put into numbers...

$134 900 000 000

Generated in 2021, accounting for 6.8% of
Canadian total gross domestic product [5]

6.3% of Canadian Land

Devoted solely for farming [5]

Canada is the 5th Largest
Exporter of Agri-food
in the World Market

In 2021, Canada shipped over
$82.2 billion of food products to
over 200 different countries [5]

The Province of Alberta is
Essential to Canadian Agriculture

They contribute to majority of the
total farm revenue each year [4]

Alberta generates...

25.5%

of total Canadian farm revenue [4]

Alberta contains...

21.9%

of total Canadian farms [4]

But there is a problem...

Globally, up to 21.5% of total
wheat yield are lost due to fungal
infections [1]

This poses a threat to food security
and sustainability of the
agriculture industry

What Fungus is Responsible?

Fusarium graminearum

Causes Fusarium Head Blight (FHB)

premature bleaching and blighting of
the heads of the wheat [2]

Secretes Mycotoxins

ingestion of affected crops may
become toxic to humans and animals [3]

This Fungal Infection Is Not Only Centralized In Canada,
But Also Poses A Problem Worldwide

DO NOT FRET,
THERE IS A SOLUTION
TO THIS THREAT!

FEDDS

Fungal Early Detection Drone System

A sprayable early warning system for Fusarium graminearum
infection in crop fields

Two Key Components:

Fungalescence

A synthetic nanobody construct
that emits red fluorescence
upon binding to antigens
specific to F. graminearum

Agri-Scan

An automated drone detecting
system that detects red
fluorescence where active
F. graminearum infection is present

Crops will be sprayed with Fungalescence. When a
crop grows red in exposure to light, this indicates
F. graminearum infection. It will then be detected
by Agri-Scan, with the collected heat map data of
infected crops accessible in a web portal.