Moa Technology, a UK-based agricultural biotech company developing next-generation weed control solutions, has announced the discovery of new chemistries with potential to help farmers protect harvests in safer and more sustainable ways.
Using its proprietary technology platforms, Moa has identified 80 novel herbicidal modes of action over the past three years. Early field trials across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and South America show strong results against some of the most pervasive and resistant weeds threatening global food production.
Scientists at Moa have also identified a new class of independent non-herbicidal novel “amplifier” molecules that can potentially allow farmers to reduce the amount or concentration of the agricultural herbicides used. The latest discovery by Moa can open new pathways for the biologicals to play a more active role in agricultural weed management.
Bioherbicides still remain one of the smallest sub-sectors in the biologicals space, due to dearth of naturally occurring, affordable, and effective weedkillers . Amplifiers open up the the possibility for using biological-synthetic hybrid solutions that can protect harvests with minimal environmental intervention.
Moa Gowan Partnership
For their new product range, Moa has decided to collaborate with the Gowan Company, a leading US agricultural solutions business based in Yuma, Arizona. Gowan will forward major investment which will include upfront payments and future value creation sharing through milestone payments and royalties. Moa and Gowan will also work together to develop a new amplifier for a specific active ingredient. The new crop protection category offers considerable commercial potential, and both companies are focused on leveraging it in today’s market, where sustainable and eco-friendly food security is the need of the hour.
Our groundbreaking technology platforms and proprietary data are continuing to produce valuable new insights and discoveries at the forefront of plant science, creating new opportunities, solutions and revenue streams for ourselves and for ambitious and forward-looking industry partners like Gowan.”
Laurent Cornette, Global Herbicide Asset Manager at Gowan, stated that the firm is delighted about its partnership with Moa, which holds strong potential for groundbreaking scientific advancements in agriculture. He further added both that scientists from both firms are working to pioneer innovative solutions for highly efficient weed control at minimal active ingredient rates, that can empower farmers with sustainable tools for the future. He concluded by stating that the possibilities are inspiring and he has no doubt that the partnership between Moa and Gowan will drive transformative benefits for the agricultural community.
Amplifier Field Trials
Moa’s new amplifier is undergoing a pilot field trials in Australia to asses its effectiveness in reducing herbicide use rates against annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum). The ryegrass is one of the toughest, most damaging, and hardest to control weeds in the world. As per Weedsmart, Australian grain producers lose $3.3 billion annually in yield losses and control expenses to weeds. Farmers are in dire need of solutions that can help to protect harvests until an advanced, safe and effective novel modes of action can be introduced in the market.
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Additionally, amplifier pilot field trials with cereal grassweeds are also being conducted in the UK where glyphosate resistance was recently discovered for the first time in Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), one of the most damaging weeds in Western European farming.
Last year, Moa advanced new herbicide classes into field trials in the U.S., UK, France, and Spain, granting Nufarm exclusive rights to one mode of action.