The University of Arizona received a three-year, $649,670 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) competitive grants program. The grant will fund evaluation of a suite of bioinspired glycolipids to identify candidates with potential as dust suppressants for Arizona agricultural soils or biocidal activity against common plant pathogens in dryland regions. Key deliverables include testing glycolipid efficacy as direct treatments, soil applications, and irrigation treatments against isolated pathogens. The university will also examine glycolipid ecotoxicity using aquatic microorganism assays and phytotoxicity by evaluating native and agricultural plant responses to treatments. Outcomes aim to reveal structure-function relationships to enable customizing glycolipid structures for agricultural needs without environmental harm. The research aims to demonstrate a new class of multi-use agrichemicals promoting long-term agroecosystem health for producers, consumers, and communities.
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