The overall purpose of this proposal is to control plant pathogens that reside within the plant, making them difficult to treat, like those that cause citrus greening, citrus canker, and pierce's…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded Baylor University a $207,351 cooperative agreement on September 30, 2026, to develop lipid-based nano-vesicles for delivery of therapeutics against systemic plant pathogens including those that cause citrus greening, citrus canker, and Pierce's disease. The nano-vesicles are designed to bypass the plant cuticle, protect therapeutics from environmental degradation, and enable treatment of pathogens that reside within plant tissue and resist conventional approaches. Reducing the incidence and severity of these diseases will decrease quarantine requirements and expand trade opportunities. Work is performed in Texas with a period of performance through September 29, 2027.

The overall purpose of this proposal is to control plant pathogens that reside within the plant, making them difficult to treat, like those that cause citrus greening, citrus canker, and pierce's disease. Lipid-based nano-vesicles can bypass the plant cuticle to deliver therapeutics while protecting them from environmental degradation. Effective treatment of these plant pathogens will reduce the need for quarantines by plant protection and quarantine and improve trade opportunities.