Project Grant 20243353041801

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CURRENT ISSUE AND ITS LARGER IMPACT:QUALTERRA'S PROJECT AIMS TO DEVELOP AN INNOVATIVE, EFFICIENT, AND RELIABLE VIRUS CLEANING PLATFORM SERVICE TO ADDRESS THE ESCALATING THREAT OF PLANT VIRAL INFECTIONS IN PERENNIAL FOOD CROPS, WHICH CAUSE ANNUAL GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL LOSSES OF AROUND $30 BILLION. THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY IS PARTICULARLY HARD-HIT BY VIRAL PATHOGENS, A PROBLEM WHICH IS FURTHER EXACERBATED BY THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE EXISTING APPROACH FOR VIRUS CLEANING THROUGH GOVERNMENT-RUN NATIONAL CLEAN PLANT CENTERS (NCPN) IS OVERWHELMED, LEADING TO SUBSTANTIAL BACKLOGS AND POSING RISKS TO NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY AND FARMER LIVELIHOODS.HIGH-VALUE HORTICULTURAL CROPS WITH UNIQUE GENETIC TRAITS PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN SUSTAINING AGRICULTURAL DIVERSITY. FOR GROWERS AND NURSERIES THAT WORK WITH SUCH CROPS, VIRUS CLEANING IS OFTEN IMPERATIVE. THIS IS BECAUSE REPLACEMENT OF PLANTS THAT BECOME VIRUS-INFECTED IS NOT ALWAYS VIABLE OPTION, DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF SPECIFIC PLANT MATERIAL ELSEWHERE. THIS CHALLENGE IS EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED IN NURSERIES AND AMONG GROWERS SPECIALIZING IN HERITAGE OR HEIRLOOM VARIETIES, WHERE THE GENETIC LINEAGE IS IRREPLACEABLE AND/OR HOLDS CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL VALUE. THUS, LOSSES DUE TO VIRAL INFECTIONS CAN BE DEVASTATING BOTH ECONOMICALLY AND WITH REGARDS TO GENETIC DIVERSITY. THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF CLEAN, DISEASE-FREE PLANTING MATERIAL FOR SUCH SPECIALIZED CROPS MAKES REPLACEMENT NOT ONLY COSTLY BUT SOMETIMES IMPOSSIBLE. THEREFORE, QUALTERRA'S INNOVATIVE VIRUS CLEANING PLATFORM IS CRUCIAL FOR PRESERVING CROP HEALTH, ENSURING ECONOMIC VIABILITY, AND FOSTERING THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY.METHODS AND APPROACHES:QUALTERRA'S TECHNICAL APPROACH INVOLVES ESTABLISHING A CUSTOMIZED AND OPTIMIZED WORKFLOW, UTILIZING CUTTING-EDGE TECHNIQUES INCLUDING MERISTEM SHOOT TIP CULTURE, THERMOTHERAPY, CRYOTHERAPY, CHEMOTHERAPY, AND COMBINATION THERAPY. THE GOAL IS TO RIGOROUSLY TEST THESE METHODS, IDENTIFYING THE MOST EFFECTIVE APPROACH, OR COMBINATION OF APPROACHES, FOR ELIMINATING DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIRUSES IN VARIOUS HIGH-VALUE HORTICULTURAL CROPS. THE EFFICACY OF EACH METHOD AND THE TIME REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE VIRUS ELIMINATION WILL BE ASSESSED USING HIGH-THROUGHPUT METHODS FOR VIRUS DETECTION.ULTIMATE GOALS AND EXPECTED IMPACT:IN PHASE I, THE GOAL IS TO ASSESS VIRUS-CLEANING STRATEGIES FOR SPECIFIC CROPS SUCH AS APPLE, CHERRY, PEAR, HOPS, AND GRAPES AND TO IDENTIFY THE BEST METHODS FOR EACH TESTED CROP. MOVING FORWARD, THE FOCUS WILL BE ON FURTHER FINE-TUNING THESE STRATEGIES FOR INDIVIDUAL CROPS AND VIRUSES, ENSURING OPTIMAL CROP PERFORMANCE POST-CLEANING, EVALUATING LONG-TERM EFFICACY, AND SCALING UP OPERATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS.THE EXPECTED IMPACT IS FAR-REACHING, ENCOMPASSING TECHNICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL BENEFITS. IMPROVED YIELD AND QUALITY IN HIGH-VALUE CROPS CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCED NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY. THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE APPROACH RELATIVE TO BENEFITS DEMONSTRAT,ES A FAVORABLE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WITH A RAPID OFFSET OF THE INITIAL R & D INVESTMENT. FURTHERMORE, POTENTIAL COLLABORATIONS WITH NCPN CENTERS COULD INFLUENCE POLICY DISCUSSIONS ON HARMONIZED REGULATIONS FOR DISEASE-FREE PLANT MATERIAL TRADE, ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTING TO GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY.OVERALL, QUALTERRA'S WORK TO ESTABLISH AND DEPLOY AN INNOVATIVE CROP VIRUS CLEANING PLATFORM WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF PLANTING MATERIAL, REDUCING BUSINESS RISKS, AIDING IN PREVENTION OF FUTURE VIRAL EPIDEMICS, AND SECURING THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS AND HEALTH OF THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY.