Syngenta announced it has entered into an exclusive global technology partnership with Pasteuria Bioscience Inc., a U.S.-based biotechnology company.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will develop innovative bio-nematicide products based on the naturally occurring soil bacteria Pasteuria spp. This group of bacteria controls nematodes across a broad variety of crops.
Joint development will initially focus on seed treatment products for the control of soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), estimated to cause more than $1 billion in crop losses each year in the United States alone.
Syngenta and Pasteuria aim to launch the first product from such collaboration within two years. The addition of Pasteuria will complement Syngenta's existing AVICTA nematicide range.
"This global technology platform will offer growers a novel biological mode of action for nematode control," said Christoph Goppelsroeder, Syngenta global head of seed care.
"Recent field trial results in U.S. soybeans have shown encouraging results, demonstrating that this technology combined with Syngenta's seed treatment expertise can provide growers with a significant opportunity to increase their yields."
"We're excited to be working in collaboration with Syngenta," said David Duncan, Ph.D., chief executive officer for Pasteuria Bioscience. "This partnership is significant for the worldwide commercialization of Pasteuria-based products in a broad variety of agricultural crops."