Focus is on full commercialization of company’s patented Nematode Pheromone Extract of Nematode Dispersal for Crop Biocontrol

DAVIS, CA, UNITED STATES, December 9, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Pheronym, an ag-biotech pest control company, has signed a 5-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS). This CRADA supports their existing National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR phase I grant awarded in mid-2020 and provides for greenhouse and field trials using the company’s patented method of pheromone production. The goal is to lay the final groundwork for commercial manufacturing of their sustainable, eco-friendly approach to pest control. The target pests include thrips, a globally important pest that developed resistance to chemical pesticides. Other target pests including but not limited to pecan weevil, citrus weevil, peachtree borer, and flatheaded appletree borer.

“The ability to deploy our solution at an industrial scale will contribute to a dramatic increase in sustainable agriculture,” said Dr. Fatma Kaplan, CEO of Pheronym. “This CRADA with the USDA ARS is a critical next step to making that happen and enabling us to fully commercialize our natural approach to pest control that will be better for people and our planet.”

“Beneficial nematodes can control a wide variety of economically important pests in diverse cropping systems,” said Dr. David Shapiro-Ilan, who will lead the greenhouse and field trials for the USDA ARS and assist in developing mass-production technology. “The ability to control crop damage with more effective and cost-efficient solutions that are also sustainable is a big priority for us.”

How it Works
Pheronym’s breakthrough increased the effectiveness of nematodes' ability to control pests, naturally, in agriculture. In order to be effective, beneficial nematodes have to find the targeted pest insect and effectively invade it. Thus, application efficacy can be hindered by limitations in nematode dispersal and infection capacity. Pheronym’s approach directly impacts this problem – significantly improving the mobility and aggressiveness of the nematodes making them more effective in killing pests.

About Pheronym
Award-winning Pheronym is an ag-biotech pest management company that enables sustainable farming through its novel platform of nematode pheromones. The company’s patented solution uses a new pheromone to control plant-parasitic nematodes (microscopic roundworms) in an eco-friendly way and enhances beneficial nematodes’ efficacy to eliminate pest insects. Learn more at http://www.pheronym.com

Karl Cameron Schiller
Pheronym, Inc.
+13522836967 ext.
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