Grant: Engage Grants Program

Terramera Inc. is a clean-tech company developing high-performance sustainable alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Terramera creates healthy, safe environments and crops free of toxic chemicals, and makes sustainable and organic farming cheaper, more productive and abundant. Terramera is committed to providing the best sustainable products and solutions that improve health and quality of life, and are trusted to protect people, plants, property and our earth.* Potato is the most important vegetable crop in Canada, accounting for 59% of the total vegetable acreage in 2014. A number of diseases can affect potato production, but one of the most challenging diseases to control is potato common scab (CS) disease, which is caused by Streptomyces bacteria. CS is characterized by the formation of superficial, raised or pitted lesions on the surface of potato tubers, and these lesions negatively impact the quality and market value of the affected tuber crop. Traditional control strategies for managing CS are inefficient and often fail, and some can have negative impacts on the environment.* The aim of this project is to investigate whether natural plant-based formulations developed by Terramera can be used to control the bacterial pathogens responsible for CS disease. Different formulations will be tested for their ability to kill or inhibit the growth of the bacteria as well as for their ability to inhibit the production of the key virulence factor responsible for CS. Formulations showing the best activity will then be tested in a CS bioassay model to determine if they can suppress the development of disease symptoms by the pathogens. It is anticipated that the proposed work will facilitate the development of natural products by Terramera that in the future could be applied as part of a management strategy for controlling CS disease, thereby reducing the economic impact of the disease on the potato production industry in Canada.*