Grant: Engage Plus Grants Program

The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae, is one of the most polyphagous arthropods and important pests in agriculture. It feeds on over 1100 plant species including more than 150 agricultural crops. It is a major pest of greenhouse crops and ornamentals, annual field crops and perennial cultures. The use of chemical pesticides is the predominant method of controlling spider mites; however, mites have an unprecedented ability to develop resistance to insecticides. Faced with these challenges, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency have jointly identified a critical need for development of new and sustainable TSSM pest control measures. Biopesticides capable of controlling spider mites would have several advantages over chemical pesticides: biopesticides provide a new mode ofaction to combat TSSM pesticide resistance, are not toxic to humans or pollinating insects, decompose into naturally beneficial nutrients for plants, and provide flexibility to producers to apply close to or during harvest. As leaders in TSSM genomics we sequenced the TSSM genome and developed a plethora of novel genomic and bioassay tools for studying the plant-TSSM interaction. In this proposal we will identify compounds with miticidal properties that are under development by Agri-Neo. The collaboration with Agri-Neo will further our understanding of plant-spider mite interaction and will identify compounds that can be used in the existing or future formulations of biopesticides for mite control.