Every year, farmers around the world are affected by crop failure due to low temperatures and frost, no matter what fruits, vegetables or grains they produce.

A WSU research team developed a sustainable formula that acts as a protective barrier against the cold, an innovation that could revolutionize less reliable farming techniques, said Matt Whiting, a professor in the WSU Department of Horticulture.

The formula uses cellulose nanocrystals that are made from chemical compounds. Cellulose, a component of plant cell walls, breaks down into microscopic-sized crystals, Whiting said. The material is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The CNC can be found in all the trees and vines the team tests the formula on, he said.

Xiao Zhang, an associate professor at WSU and Whiting's colleague, worked in chemical engineering for several years. About four years ago, Zhang showed Whiting CNC. Zhang described how when sprayed like a film, it creates an insulating layer.

Whiting said he instantly thought that this substance could work to protect crops from frost damage. Together, the researchers first sprayed CNC on wine grapes from Prosser, Washington, then put the grapes in a programmable freezer and analyzed the temperatures at which the plants were killed.

Buds sprayed with the formula withstood colder temperatures than those that were not sprayed, he said.

From there, the experiments continued with tree fruits, such as cherries, apples, and pears. The researchers increased the size of the CNC sprayers and increased the number of plants they experimented with over the years, Whiting said.

"Every time we scale it up, it has worked," he said.

The team modified the CNC's formula by adding plant raw materials, Whiting said.

“There really haven't been innovations in how to reduce cold damage,” he said. "Growers have been using the same techniques to try to prevent frost and cold damage as their grandparents."

Farmers in Washington often use wind machines to avoid frost damage, Whiting said.

Thousands of wind towers surround the Yakima Valley to displace cold air settling in the valley and replace it with warmer air, Whiting said. This raises the air temperature a few degrees.

After studying CNC for years, Whiting said he hasn't found any negative impact on its use as a protective film in large part because it is made up of natural resources.

Brent Arnoldussen, a fourth-year horticulture doctoral student, said he grew up in Wisconsin, where fruit from trees is not part of the horticultural industry due to the state's cool climate.

He became involved in the project three years ago when he first witnessed the loss of crops in his home state. Arnoldussen said he wanted to help farmers protect their livelihoods.

Arnoldussen said he helped build the sprinklers for the project and worked with growers to test the formula at plants.

Because the formula was developed in a university-owned laboratory, the findings are owned by WSU, Whiting said. Whiting and Zhang formed a new company called Pomona Technologies to negotiate an intellectual property license from the university.

If licensed, the researchers could make and sell the spray to farmers through the company, he said. A commercial product could be seen in 2022.

“We decided it would be better to do it ourselves,” Whiting said. “We are excited about the possibilities and feel we have a technology that can save crops.”

In addition, the research team submitted funding requests to further study blueberries, blackberries and blueberries using the formula, he said.

“There is no reason to expect that [the spray] won't work just because of the mode of action. It's not crop specific, ”Whiting said.