A new chemistry to control fungal diseases in crops has just been announced.
The joint breakthrough, by Syngenta Crop Protection and crop health company, Enko, has been achieved using a platform that reduces the time required for research and development (R&D)-related discovery.
According to both companies, this development was achieved by screening billions of chemical molecules within Enko’s DNA-encoded libraries.
It was then a case of using artificial intelligence and machine learning models to identify potent, selective molecules.
This approach significantly shortens the time required for the discovery process, while ensuring molecules meet specified safety criteria.
Fungal diseases
Fungal pathogens represent a major challenge to the health of crops worldwide. Diseases caused by these active agents cause growers to lose between 10% and 23% of their yield for staple crops, including wheat and potatoes.
Ireland’s mild, damp climate significantly predisposes all cereal and potato crops to fungal attack.
It is estimated that the potential for disease-related crop losses will increase as the impact of global warming continues to strengthen.
Syngenta and Enko have now entered into the next phase of their collaboration. This is to optimise the fungicide’s attributes and rigorously test them for safety and efficacy.
The two companies aim to build further on the success of the fungicide collaboration. They have signed a new agreement to discover novel chemical starting points for a new herbicide.
Enko
Enko is a United-States-based business, established in 2017. Its investors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The company’s modus operandi is to identify new chemicals that will work to deliver effective weed and disease control within crops in a wholly sustainable manner.
Making this happen, it is claimed, will be achieved through the application of cutting edge technologies used, up to this point, only within the pharmaceutical sector.
One of the claims made for the new fungicide chemistry is its ability to allow farmers sustainably manage crops, protect yields, and combat resistance.
It is also envisaged that digital tools can cut discovery time for new crop protection solutions.
Enko was established with the specific aim of reducing the amount of time required to identify new crop chemistries by 75%.
The cost savings achieved by taking this approach should be in the region of 90%.
