(534d) Spherical Nanoparticles from Tmgmv for Agricultural Delivery Applications

Development of new technology for agriculture requires highly economical and stable preparations so as not to burden farmers with high costs or technologies that are challenging to implement. The profit margins in this sector are very slim, and the successful translation of any technology needs to be cognizant of this dynamic. Nanotechnology offers an avenue for more sustainable and efficient delivery of agrochemical cargos like pesticides, nutrients, or other functional molecules. However, choosing the most appropriate nanoparticle system for delivery in soil or into plants requires a balance of the loading ratio of cargo, the mobility in the soil, and the compatibility with the environment.

Plant virus nanoparticles are well adapted to agricultural applications, and just like viruses that affect mammals, they have a defined host range. Further, they can come in several morphologies, including icosahedral and rod-shaped. Previous examples of plant virus nanoparticles as a nanocarrier have been demonstrated for cancer immunotherapy, molecular imaging, and delivery of functional molecules in the soil for pest management. Tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV) exhibits many promising characteristics for agricultural applications, including a limited host range and prior approval by the EPA as an herbicide. It has been shown to covalently and non-covalently deliver functional cargo in several agricultural and drug delivery applications. However, these preparations are time intensive and do not approach the yields required to make these nanomaterials a feasible technology for the field.

Thermal transformation of rod-shaped nanoparticles, like TMGMV, into spherical nanoparticles (SNP) is a simple, single-step transformation that forms a stable nanomaterial. Previously, we have shown that if the transformation occurs in the presence of a small molecule cargo, the cargo will be encapsulated into the SNPs. Building off this work, we continued formulating the platform for other molecule cargo encapsulation and delivery for agricultural applications. For small molecules, paralysis and eradication of C. elegans by delivery of anthelmintics in the soil was demonstrated. SNPs enriched in other molecules were also delivered by agroinfiltration to N. benthamiana. These results demonstrate TMGMV to be a flexible platform material for a number of nanodelivery applications in agriculture.