Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PHERA (PHEromones for Row crop Applications)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-09-01 bis 2023-08-31
Agricultural productivity needs to rise by 70% by 2050 to feed a fast-growing population. This challenge is made difficult by the onset of insect pesticide resistance, increased regulatory pressure on crop protection chemicals, and consumer-driven demand for clean nutritious and healthy products. Pheromone insect control is a safe, effective, affordable, and sustainable alternative to traditional chemical pesticides. The concept of "mating disruption" consist in dispensing an insect pest's own sex pheromones into a field to disrupt the insects' ability to attract or find mating partners, keeping the pest population numbers low and crops safe. Crops protected with pheromones have a better residue profile and the natural biodiversity of fields and orchards is preserved.
Although the science of mating disruption has been understood and proven for some 20 years, the cost of pheromone production has been a barrier to the broader application of the concept. However, research into pheromone production via fermentation methods has been under development for around ten years. Fermentation technology can enable pheromone production at a lower cost than the synthetic production routes used so far. The improved cost and availability of pheromones will allow mating disruption for pest protection to move out of its current high-value crop niche and make it affordable and accessible for large-scale row crops.
PHERA brings together the required expertise in production and formulation to move pheromones toward more wide-spread use. The Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking awarded the PHERA grant for the 2020-2023 period to a consortium of companies with the aim to scale up pheromone production and application technology and to drive commercialization into major row crops. The PHERA consortium consists of companies specialized in pheromone application: SEDQ Healthy Crops (Spain), ISCA Europe (France), Russell IPM (UK), and Novagrica (Greece), as well as in bio-based pheromone production: BioPhero (Denmark). The consortium also included scale-up expertise from BPF (no longer operating), and life-cycle assessment capabilities from Fraunhofer (Germany).
The pheromones used in PHERA are produced by fermentation using renewable raw materials. The project thereby directly supports BBI/CBE JU’s strategic objectives by establishing a new bio-based business for pheromone-based pest control in row crops, while helping to solve the major societal issue of achieving sustainable agricultural productivity growth.
The PHERA grant was used directly towards two critical steps required for large scale implementation: Scaling up the production of pheromones to production in 100 cubic meter fermentation tanks, and conducting large-scale mating disruption field experiments in row-crops to prove the efficacy of the pheromone formulations offered by the pheromone application companies.
The PHERA technologies have a potential to transform the pest control in agriculture.
- From an environmental perspective, using a pheromone-based approach to pest control has lower impact than existing pesticides. The production method – using yeast fermentation – is also environmentally friendly, as it mainly uses renewable raw materials.
- The PHERA technology makes pheromones an affordable form of pest control for row crops. This will help to increase food production to meet the demands of a growing population while at the same time considerably reducing long-term impacts on the environment.
- This will also create a new industrial sector, dedicated to the production of sustainable pest control approaches. Thus, by 2027 PHERA will help establish a new agriculture technology industry for mating disruption products for row crop production worth more than €600 million, creating approximately 300 new jobs.
Although the science of mating disruption has been understood and proven for some 20 years, the cost of pheromone production has been a barrier to the broader application of the concept. However, research into pheromone production via fermentation methods has been under development for around ten years. Fermentation technology can enable pheromone production at a lower cost than the synthetic production routes used so far. The improved cost and availability of pheromones will allow mating disruption for pest protection to move out of its current high-value crop niche and make it affordable and accessible for large-scale row crops.
PHERA brings together the required expertise in production and formulation to move pheromones toward more wide-spread use. The Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking awarded the PHERA grant for the 2020-2023 period to a consortium of companies with the aim to scale up pheromone production and application technology and to drive commercialization into major row crops. The PHERA consortium consists of companies specialized in pheromone application: SEDQ Healthy Crops (Spain), ISCA Europe (France), Russell IPM (UK), and Novagrica (Greece), as well as in bio-based pheromone production: BioPhero (Denmark). The consortium also included scale-up expertise from BPF (no longer operating), and life-cycle assessment capabilities from Fraunhofer (Germany).
The pheromones used in PHERA are produced by fermentation using renewable raw materials. The project thereby directly supports BBI/CBE JU’s strategic objectives by establishing a new bio-based business for pheromone-based pest control in row crops, while helping to solve the major societal issue of achieving sustainable agricultural productivity growth.
The PHERA grant was used directly towards two critical steps required for large scale implementation: Scaling up the production of pheromones to production in 100 cubic meter fermentation tanks, and conducting large-scale mating disruption field experiments in row-crops to prove the efficacy of the pheromone formulations offered by the pheromone application companies.
The PHERA technologies have a potential to transform the pest control in agriculture.
- From an environmental perspective, using a pheromone-based approach to pest control has lower impact than existing pesticides. The production method – using yeast fermentation – is also environmentally friendly, as it mainly uses renewable raw materials.
- The PHERA technology makes pheromones an affordable form of pest control for row crops. This will help to increase food production to meet the demands of a growing population while at the same time considerably reducing long-term impacts on the environment.
- This will also create a new industrial sector, dedicated to the production of sustainable pest control approaches. Thus, by 2027 PHERA will help establish a new agriculture technology industry for mating disruption products for row crop production worth more than €600 million, creating approximately 300 new jobs.
The two main objectives of the PHERA have been successfully achieved.
Firstly, we have developed the technology for manufacturing of several insect pheromones by fermentation demonstrated the complete process at full scale of over 100 m3. As shown techno-economic assessment, fermentation method is much more cost-effective than chemical synthesis and results in the cost of pheromone treatment that is comparable or even lower than insecticide applications.
Secondly, we have developed pheromone formulations suitable for application in row crops and demonstrated the effectiveness of pheromone-based pest control on various crops, against various insect pests in multiple geographies.
The results were widely disseminated through press releases, popular science publications, scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, videos, and presentations at over 40 conferences, workshops, fairs, and other specialized meetings. The details can be found in public Deliverable 8.3 "Report on Dissemination & Communication Activities" and on the project website https://www.phera.info/news/.
The project partners continue with development, registration, and marketing of the pheromone-based products.
Videos:
BioPhero Introduction to mating disruption and yeast fermentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEV3cRTeYd0&t=2s
Novagrica develops innovative dispersing technology. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-phera-project_pherodrop-drone-application-of-pheromones-activity-7051561486078341122-U0P3/
SEDQ develops biodegradable control solution for rice stem borer. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-phera-project_new-solutions-for-chilo-supressalis-mating-activity-7102286403530571776-PItJ/
Russell IPM develops mating disruption products to combat rice yellow stem borer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtVKL87qk9Q
Firstly, we have developed the technology for manufacturing of several insect pheromones by fermentation demonstrated the complete process at full scale of over 100 m3. As shown techno-economic assessment, fermentation method is much more cost-effective than chemical synthesis and results in the cost of pheromone treatment that is comparable or even lower than insecticide applications.
Secondly, we have developed pheromone formulations suitable for application in row crops and demonstrated the effectiveness of pheromone-based pest control on various crops, against various insect pests in multiple geographies.
The results were widely disseminated through press releases, popular science publications, scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, videos, and presentations at over 40 conferences, workshops, fairs, and other specialized meetings. The details can be found in public Deliverable 8.3 "Report on Dissemination & Communication Activities" and on the project website https://www.phera.info/news/.
The project partners continue with development, registration, and marketing of the pheromone-based products.
Videos:
BioPhero Introduction to mating disruption and yeast fermentation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEV3cRTeYd0&t=2s
Novagrica develops innovative dispersing technology. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-phera-project_pherodrop-drone-application-of-pheromones-activity-7051561486078341122-U0P3/
SEDQ develops biodegradable control solution for rice stem borer. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-phera-project_new-solutions-for-chilo-supressalis-mating-activity-7102286403530571776-PItJ/
Russell IPM develops mating disruption products to combat rice yellow stem borer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtVKL87qk9Q
PHERA has, for the first time, demonstrated the production of insect sex pheromones by fermentation at scale and successful pheromone applications for pest control in row crops, thus advancing the state of the art within the integrated pest management.
By achieving its overall objectives, PHERA has developed new insect pheromones for agricultural use that will be more affordable and accessible than existing products. PHERA technologies will make a significant environmental contribution by reducing, even eliminating, the usage of toxic chemical insecticides and diminishing the environmental footprint of pest control. It will also make a relevant economic impact, by creating a new business sector and making the pheromone-based approach affordable to farmers.
Additionally, PHERA has made contributions to specific BBI JU Key Performance Indicators by:
- Establishing a new cross-sectoral interconnection in the bio-based economy, between the biotechnological manufacturing and agriculture sectors.
- Creating three new bio-based value chains; converting glycerine into pheromones using yeast fermentation, formulating these pheromones into mating disruption products and selling the products to growers to protect their plants from insects.
- Developing and demonstrating new plant protection products that meet market requirements, all of which will use biologically produced pheromones.
By achieving its overall objectives, PHERA has developed new insect pheromones for agricultural use that will be more affordable and accessible than existing products. PHERA technologies will make a significant environmental contribution by reducing, even eliminating, the usage of toxic chemical insecticides and diminishing the environmental footprint of pest control. It will also make a relevant economic impact, by creating a new business sector and making the pheromone-based approach affordable to farmers.
Additionally, PHERA has made contributions to specific BBI JU Key Performance Indicators by:
- Establishing a new cross-sectoral interconnection in the bio-based economy, between the biotechnological manufacturing and agriculture sectors.
- Creating three new bio-based value chains; converting glycerine into pheromones using yeast fermentation, formulating these pheromones into mating disruption products and selling the products to growers to protect their plants from insects.
- Developing and demonstrating new plant protection products that meet market requirements, all of which will use biologically produced pheromones.