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MB 590 Capstone
The capstone project teaches students how to identify an unmet market need and apply the knowledge and skills learned through previous coursework to develop a business plan. During my capstone project, my three teammates and I developed a product idea for treating Citrus Greening, a bacterial disease that is devastating citrus groves within the US.
The Problem & Market Need
The Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama) is a citrus tree pest that spreads Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus, the bacteria that causes Citrus Greening.
Citrus Greening causes trees to produce irregularly shaped fruit that are bitter and non-sellable. Infected trees die within a few years of contracting the disease and there is currently no cure on the market. Over $1 Bn is spent annually by citrus farmers in an attempt to protect their groves. Since 2003, the acreage of citrus groves within the US has been decreased by 53% and has caused a loss of over 30,000 jobs.
Our Solution
Here is our final presentation that my team and I presented to our program board at the end of our project.
Our solution was a sprayable microbial biocontrol formulation predicted to decrease the chances of citrus trees contracting Citrus Greening by up to 90%.