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An international agricultural company has licensed a formula for fighting crop disease that a UCF scientist spent more than five years perfecting.

Gowan Co. recently signed an agreement with the University of Central Florida to obtain exclusive rights to the anti-fungal and anti-bacterial formulation developed by researcher Swadeshmukul Santra. The formulation couples a centuries-old agricultural practice with cutting edge nanoscience. Gowan plans to market it for use on a wide range of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, berries and more.

麻豆精品 S淲e are very excited to partner with UCF on this innovative new product as it will enhance the fungicide/bactericide portfolio that we are able to offer our global customers, 麻豆精品 S� said Gowan Co. chief operating officer Jacque Palmer. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 an excellent opportunity for us to use our expertise in bringing critical technologies such as this to market to help growers protect their crops. 麻豆精品 S�

It 麻豆精品 S檚 common for the private sector to license technology invented by UCF researchers. But this agreement represents the first time a UCF discovery has been licensed for the agricultural industry.

麻豆精品 S淚n my opinion, this is groundbreaking, 麻豆精品 S� said Andrea Adkins, assistant director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Office of Research and & Commercialization. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 the forerunner of everything coming from UCF in agriculture. 麻豆精品 S�

Santra, an associate professor with joint appointments in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 NanoScience Technology Center and Department of Chemistry, began working on the formula in 2011. Through trial and error, Santra and his research team developed more than two dozen formulations before finding the right one 麻豆精品 S� known internally as SG-25, for the 25th formula from the 麻豆精品 S淪antra Group. 麻豆精品 S�

麻豆精品 S淭here were a lot of challenges for us to develop this product, 麻豆精品 S� Santra said. 麻豆精品 S淚t takes time. 麻豆精品 S�

It relies on an age-old treatment: Copper, which was first used in agriculture in 1761 for treating seeds to protect from soil-borne fungal attack. Since then, copper compounds have been a staple in preventing crop disease.

But this isn 麻豆精品 S檛 your grandmother 麻豆精品 S檚 copper. Santra developed copper nanoparticles about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, and embedded those tiny particles in a silica matrix. Field trials have shown the new formulation is more effective at preventing disease than the industry standard. And it 麻豆精品 S檚 safer for the environment, Santra said.

When growers apply copper compounds to their crops, it can build up in the soil over time. Too much copper limits the ability of plants to take in other nutrients, and at high levels can be toxic to aquatic species 麻豆精品 S� reasons why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates its agricultural use. And over time, bacteria can develop resistance.

Nanoparticles have much greater surface area than copper in its normal state, so they 麻豆精品 S檙e more effective at lower levels.

麻豆精品 S淢y goal was to stick to copper 麻豆精品 S� which has been the gold standard for centuries 麻豆精品 S� but to redesign it to improve its effectiveness, minimize the development of antimicrobial resistance and cut down the amount of copper we apply in agricultural fields, 麻豆精品 S� Santra said.

The Gowan Co. first learned of Santra 麻豆精品 S檚 work in 2011 when one of his close collaborators, Jim Graham of the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center, presented findings from field trials of Santra 麻豆精品 S檚 work to Florida growers. A Gowan representative was in the audience and later connected with Santra.

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation helped fund some of Santra 麻豆精品 S檚 research. Santra and his graduate students have been working with Gowan to develop the formula through several years of tests.

麻豆精品 S淚t was a great learning experience for me, 麻豆精品 S� said graduate student Mikaeel Young, who has worked closely with Gowan on the project.

Under terms of the licensing agreement, Gowan will now work to obtain regulatory approval from the EPA and at the state level. That process can take two years or more.

Through the work of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 Office of Research & Commercialization, the agreement will bring royalties from future sales to the university and its inventors.

This is Santra 麻豆精品 S檚 first agriculture-related development, but others are in the works and already undergoing field trials. Last year, UCF established the MISA Center of Excellence 麻豆精品 S� which stands for Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture 麻豆精品 S� with the goal of combating crop disease and feeding the world 麻豆精品 S檚 growing population. Santra is director of the center.