Description du projet
Une nouvelle méthode de confusion sexuelle pour augmenter la productivité agricole
Face à la croissance de la population mondiale, les agriculteurs à travers le monde doivent accroître leur production agricole. Mais les parasites constituent toujours un problème. Les scientifiques de l’UE délaissent les méthodes actuelles telles que les insecticides chimiques et les cultures génétiquement modifiées, qui ne sont pas durables. Le projet PHERA, financé par l’UE, développe une nouvelle méthode efficace, abordable et durable de lutte contre les nuisibles, qui utilise les phéromones sexuelles des insectes pour empêcher la reproduction des insectes nuisibles en perturbant leur capacité à attirer des partenaires sexuels. La méthode de confusion sexuelle (MD pour mating disruption), communément utilisée pour les cultures spécialisées, n’a aucune incidence sur la biodiversité, les sols ou les eaux souterraines. PHERA développe une production biologique de phéromones nettement moins onéreuses qui permettra enfin d’utiliser la confusion sexuelle au service de la lutte contre les nuisibles dans les cultures en rang. PHERA entend créer, d’ici 2027, une nouvelle entreprise «agtech» spécialisée dans les solutions de confusion sexuelle pour les cultures en rang d’une valeur de 640 millions d’euros ainsi que 300 nouveaux emplois.
Objectif
Agricultural productivity needs to rise by 70% by 2050 to provide sufficient food for the growing population on a limited amount of land and water, while climate change and the onset of insect resistance makes pest control increasingly difficult. The current (overused) tools, chemical insecticides and GMO-crops, are not sustainable and most of the alternative biological solutions are not feasible for the large scale agriculture in row crops due to the high cost, complicated application methods, and inconsistent performance.
Mating Disruption (MD) is an effective, affordable, and sustainable pest control method, which uses insect sex pheromones to prevent pest reproduction by disrupting their ability to attract mating partners. Mating Disruption is a scalable new solution for row crops, with 20-years of successful application in specialty crops. MD is a sustainable, non-toxic pest control method, which does not affect biodiversity, soil, or groundwater.
The key objectives of PHERA are to demonstrate cost-efficient production of three bio-based pheromones at full industrial scale and to demonstrate pheromone effectiveness for pest control and for sustainable increase of agricultural productivity in the field. The cost of pheromones has been a key barrier to the wide adoption of MD in row crops. Biological production of radically cheaper pheromones is a disruptive technology that will allow the application of pheromones for pest control in row crops.
PHERA will create a new value chain across biotech and ag-tech, and the consortium brings together all required expertise in biotech production and pheromone formulation and application. PHERA will create a new ag-tech business for MD solutions in row crop applications worth €640 million and 300 new jobs by 2027, and a long-term potential in excess of €2 billion. The new products developed in PHERA will have a substantial positive impact on the sustainability profile of large-scale row crop production.
Champ scientifique
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivity
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Programme(s)
- H2020-EU.3.2. - SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy Main Programme
- H2020-EU.2.1.4. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology
- H2020-EU.3.2.6. - Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI)
Régime de financement
IA - Innovation actionCoordinateur
2100 COPENHAGEN Ø
Danemark
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.