Greenhouse vegetable pest suppression using native nepalese plant-based product

Overview

This solution offers a novel, broad-spectrum plant-based biopesticide formulated from a native Nepalese plant with a long history of use in ethnomedicine and traditional pest management. The product targets three major greenhouse pests and diseases in tomato production: Botrytis gray mold, bacterial leaf spot (caused by Xanthomonas perforans), and aphids. It is positioned as a sustainable alternative or complement to conventional copper-based treatments, which are facing reduced effectiveness due to pathogen tolerance.

The product is intended for greenhouse vegetable growers, organic producers, and integrated pest management (IPM) practitioners seeking effective, plant-derived crop protection solutions. By combining the extract with bio-rational adjuvants such as stickers or spreaders, efficacy can be further optimized for commercial-scale application.

Technical specifications

Key features and performance:

• Aqueous fruit extract of a native Nepalese plant applied as a foliar spray
• Achieved greater than 91.5% reduction in area under the bacterial leaf spot disease progress curve (AUDPC) under greenhouse conditions
• Produced a 49.6% increase in plant biomass at foliar spray concentrations of at least 1% suspension
• Demonstrated significant negative correlation between product concentration and disease severity (r = -0.70, P < 0.001)
• Effective against moderately copper- and streptomycin-tolerant X. perforans strain SM1828.17, where copper hydroxide alone failed to significantly reduce AUDPC
• Compatibility with commercially available organic stickers and spreaders to enhance pest and disease suppression

Validation approach:

• In-vitro and in-planta efficacy testing against targeted pathogens and pests
• Greenhouse trials under artificially inoculated conditions for Botrytis gray mold, bacterial spot, and aphids
• High-resolution Raspberry Pi-based camera imaging with image analysis to quantify disease and pest damage progression over time
• Optimization of application rates, intervals, and adjuvant combinations prior to final validation

Technology readiness level

The product has completed initial proof-of-concept validation during doctoral research at a leading U.S. university, demonstrating strong efficacy against bacterial leaf spot in greenhouse tomato trials. The current project aims to refine the formulation, determine effective commercial concentrations, and expand validation across three major greenhouse pest systems. Final-stage validation will confirm optimal application rates and intervals. The technology is at an early-to-mid development stage, progressing toward commercial readiness with additional greenhouse and in-vitro testing, formulation optimization, and image-based efficacy monitoring underway.