LEAFLOCK: Sustainable Biostimulant Adhesives for Enhanced Fungicide Delivery

The presence of fungal diseases significantly threatens global crop production, resulting in a loss of 7-24% of commodity crops globally, costing over €180B annually. Despite advancements in alternative protective methods, the use of fungicides remains necessary to ensure a stable global food supply. When applied to crop foliage, fungicides create a protective barrier which can be easily compromised by rainfall, undermining the effectiveness of the treatment. Incorporating polymeric ‘stickers’ into antifungal formulations can enhance resistance to rainfall. However, the use of petrochemicals as excipients is a major concern due to their contribution to CO2 emissions, environmental pollution and soil degradation.

To overcome the barriers associated with current fungicide formulations, the next generation of antifungal technologies must embody four key characteristics:

– be bioderived, bioabsorbable, and sustainable

– exhibit superior efficacy compared to existing fungicides

– be easy and cost-effective to produce, and

– be readily adaptable to various crops and environmental conditions.

Currently, no commercially available antifungal formulations exhibit all four key characteristics. It has recently been discovered that bio-based polyesters can be synthesised through the ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of monomers derived from unwanted by-products from biofuel production and woody biomass. Using this new synthetic methodology, the LeafLock team will develop a sustainable and biodegradable amino acid-derived aliphatic polyester sticker for the enhanced delivery of fungicides and biostimulants, safeguarding crops and improving soil health.