USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - Northeast Area

ARS constructed a new type I interferon gene expression system to increase interferon production and antiviral potency. This DNA construct can be inserted into gene-expressing vectors to be used as an antiviral biotherapeutic in pigs. The construct can be modified to be used in other animals.

Benefits
• Uses the most potent porcine interferon gene to increase antiviral activity
• Uses a strong porcine promoter for high gene expression
• Includes another porcine gene to extend the duration of interferon production

Applications
• Use alone for inducing rapid protection against virus infection
• Combine with vaccines for inducing rapid and long-lasting immune protection

A system for monitoring ruminant animal foraging that utilizes a piezoelectric film sensor in communication with a computer processor to record and characterize jaw movement data for the foraging ruminant animal. The processor applies pattern algorithms to categorize the jaw movement data so that the jaw movements are categorized as at least chewing, biting, ruminating, and/or idling. Knowledge about livestock behavior and resource use can inform management decisions that influence outcomes in agricultural production, the environment, and rural prosperity.

Benefits
• The system quantifies grazing behavior, including grazing time, ruminating time, resting time, bites/min and bites/day
• It has GPS tracking at a fix frequency of 5 minutes. It can track time spent in sensitive areas (e.g. riparian) and time spent in forage patches (diet selection)
• Other metrics can be added, including tail switch to track nutrient deposition, activity monitor for # of steps, and bites/feeding station
• Remote data access and troubleshooting

Applications
• This product would be of interest to grazing-based animal researchers
• It could be adapted for use for rangeland livestock, confinement livestock and for wildlife to monitor movement and grazing behavior

A bio-based epoxy curing agents has been developed that gives the final cured epoxy polymer good antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The manufacturing process involves mixing this curing agent with commercial epoxy resins and hardening the mixture at certain temperatures. The resulting polymer coating doesn’t contain any small molecular biocides embedded, but instead inhibits the bacteria by mere contact without releasing any reactive agents.

Benefits
• Renewable
• Inhibit both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
• Non-volatile and non-migratory
• Good water-resistance

Applications
• Antimicrobial coatings for public sanitations like public bathroom wall coating, flooring or toilet seat coatings
• Coatings for reception desks, countertop, dining tables or biological lab benches
• Medicine or food packaging materials
• Cosmetics additives to prevent microbial proliferation
• Polymeric disinfectants used for water treatment

An isolated and purified bacteriocin, thermophilin 110, produced by Streptococcus thermophiles strain 110 that kills and/or inhibits the growth of Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, and/or Propionibacterium acnes. Thermophilin 110 is the first bacteriocin identified with this activity.

Benefits
• Natural, antimicrobial peptides

Applications
• Applied topically, orally, or parenterally to an animal to prevent the growth of or kill S. pyogenes, S. mutans, and/or P. acnes and thus prevent or treat diseases caused by the bacteria
• Potential for food and non-food applications
• Biopreservative

A berry catcher that has an elastic catcher sheet sandwiched between upper and lower hollow rims. A protector sheet is stretched across the lower rim. The system is structured so that as a harvester moves across a field, falling berries are caught by the catcher sheet as the protector sheet simultaneously protects the underside of the catcher sheet.

Benefits
• System is designed to reduce berry bruising in machine-harvested fruit
• The system could be incorporated into existing commercial over-the-row harvesters and platform-based harvest-aid systems

Applications
• Machine-harvesting berries such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries destined for fresh-market packaging

Boron derivatives that are stable at ambient conditions and capable of releasing 1-methyl cyclopropene (1-MCP) gradually when in contact with water.

Benefits

Applications

Chromobacterium phragmitis is a newly discovered species of bacteria that has insecticidal activity against immature stages of both fly and moth pests. These bacteria are not insect pathogens, but produce compounds in culture that are toxic to the insects. This means that it is not necessary to maintain the viability of the bacteria in a product, and that the toxic compounds can be concentrated in post-fermentation processing.

Benefits
• Cultures of C. phragmitis are more toxic to moth species than C. subtsugae
• An alternative to Bacillus thuringiensis with a broader activity spectrum

Applications
• Cultured C. phragmitis can be used as an organic insecticide with activity against lepidopteran and dipteran insect pests such as cabbage looper, diamondback moth, and seedcorn maggot

A novel species of Chromobacterium that selectively kills lepidopteran insect larvae (such as, gypsy moth, diamondback moth, tobacco hornworm larvae, and cabbage looper larvae). Compositions containing Chromobacterium spagni sp. strains and the use of these compositions to kill insect larvae are covered by the U.S. and PCT patent applications. These compositions kill the indicated larvae at least as well as or better than some C. subtsugae biocontrol agents.

Benefits
• Biocontrol agent
• Some species of lepidoptera have become resistant to currently used pesticides. Thus a need exists for new biocontrol agents

Applications
• This invention covers an insecticidal bacterium that can be used to kill lepidopteran insect larvae without harming non-target insect larvae

A process for synthesizing biologically-derived coke from a byproduct of bio-oil distillation. The process entails fast pyrolysis, atmospheric distillation and vacuum distillation to remove liquid and volatile products.

Benefits

Applications