November 2021 - 7

The in vitro testing validated that
the product inhibited the growth
of funguses such as Colletotrichum
acutatum, Alternaria alternata,
Fusarium oxysporum, Glomerella
cingulata just to mention a few, and
also against Xanthomonas citri,
Pseudomonas corrugata, Erwinia
amylovora, which are bacterial
pathogens in plants.
The conclusion was that the product
had peptides that inhibited the growth
of all these pathogens.
VGN: If I remember my high school
chemistry correctly, the definition
of a protein is a polypeptide chain of
amino acids. Would it be accurate to
say they're a building block of proteins,
helping plants to grow?
MF: Yes, indeed, that is a good
definition (but not more than 50 in
the chain), and yes amino acids are the
building blocks of proteins, although
our main approach is to use them
against plant disease.
VGN: I came across one researcher
with a USDA grant looking at peptides
for supporting the salmon industry.
Are there uses for peptides outside of
specialty crops and row crops?
MF: I believe that the potential for
this kind of product is enormous not
only in the agricultural business, but
also in clinical trials against
antibiotic-resistant bacterias since the
mode of action of the peptide does not
generate resistance in time.
VGN: Would you say that most
peptides used in agriculture would be
naturally occurring?
MF: Yes. They would have to be
produced from natural sources, say a
fungal strain for instance.
VGN: Give an example of how a
company would identify a peptide as
being useful and then isolate it and
produce it at scale for agricultural use.
MF: First the natural organism
(candidate) has to provide the AMP.
Then in vitro studies would have to be
performed against diseases in order
to see if the potential AMP is really
generating lysis of the pathogen. (Lysis
is the breakdown of a cell by damaging
its membrane.)
The company needs to investigate
thoroughly if the organism really
produces AMPs by using special
chromatographic techniques in order
to see if the peptide or peptides
are present. After this procedure is
performed, you need to sequence each
one of them in order to have the whole
picture.
Field trials in different crops is highly
recommended, finally validating the
results with statistical and scientific
rigor.
VGN: In your mind, what are the top
two or three most promising fields for
peptide-based products for fruit and
vegetable growers?
MF: Basically, focusing on the
peptides for disease control. Nowadays
the necessity for new alternatives in
agriculture for disease control is a
major issue due to the concept of the
imperative need for fewer chemical
residues in vegetables, fruits, overall
agricultural products, and also fewer
residues in the soil in order to take care
of our water sources.
Peptides offer a great chance of
avoiding resistance due to the mode
of action, which is directed to the cell
membrane and enzymes of the pathogen.
Due to this characteristic, we can have
an important tool to control disease for a
long time in a natural way.
Also, sometimes the chemical
control is either non-effective or
leaves too many chemical residues.
With peptides, we can help control
disease in tough situations (like Citrus
huanglongbing, aka citrus greening, for
example) and have a new alternative
going in different crops. VGN
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November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021