Precision Delivery of Active Agents in Plants for Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture

media release: Join the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment for this week’s Weston Roundtable lecture, Room 1163

Speaker: Gregory Lowry, professor of civil and environmental engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Nanocarriers that can precisely deliver active agents, nutrients, and genetic materials into crop plants will improve agrochemical utilization efficiency and increase resilience to climate change. However, greater understanding of how nanocarriers interact with plant surfaces and biomolecules is needed, and viable targeting approaches in plants are needed to improve nanocarrier design for efficiency and efficacy.

This talk will discuss progress made towards these goals, providing illustrative examples of targeted delivery and approaches to mitigate climate induced plant stress, and will discuss the key barriers that must be addressed to realize the benefits of plant nanobiotechnology.

The Weston Roundtable is made possible by a generous donation from Roy F. Weston, a highly accomplished UW-Madison alumnus. Designed to promote a robust understanding of sustainability science, engineering, and policy, these interactive lectures are co-sponsored by the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Office of Sustainability.