New Corteva Agriscience naturally derived seed treatments used on over 10 million hectares in Europe

Corteva Agriscience estimates show that innovative seed treatments are being used on more than 10 million hectares in Europe as the company accelerates efforts to meet growing demand for products of natural origin.

Lumidapt^® and Lumibio Kelta, a new type of micronutrient fertilizer seed treatment and growth promoter developed by Marrone Bio Innovations subsidiary Pro Farm Technologies, were used on the company’s flagship Pioneer^® brand corn, winter oilseed rape and sunflower seed products in the 2021 season.

“Growth nutrition products derived from natural sources provide a unique opportunity to help farmers to move towards practices that have both financial and environmental benefits,” said Andre Negreiros, Seed Applied Technologies Leader, Europe at Corteva Agriscience.

“We are proud to see this solution adopted across Europe and contribute to more sustainable farming practices. This is the first time that we see such wide use of a technology of this kind with great performance and results.”

Monica Sorribas, Marketing Leader, Europe at Corteva Agriscience added: “We are committed to relentless innovation that will help drive profitability for farmers while facilitating sustainable agriculture in line with consumer expectations and our 2030 Sustainability Goals.”

“Lumidapt^® and Lumibio Kelta are proven to enable better crop establishment, with earlier emergence, stronger roots and healthy young plants,” she continued. “The naturally derived products are also free of microplastics and in line with efforts to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.”

The news comes as Corteva Agriscience continues building a new Center of Seed Applied Technologies (CSAT) in southwest France, with the goal of helping Europe’s farmers get their crops off to the best start and achieve a successful harvest.

CSATs act as a laboratory, testing center and seed treatment plant, with rigorous processes in place for the discovery, formulation and real-world testing of seed applied technologies. This process enables seed treatments to protect and perform to solve on-farm challenges, delivering value for growers.

Later this year, Corteva Agriscience will launch a new cereals product, YMPACT^®, developed using novel technologies as the result of a commercial agreement with Pro Farm Technologies.

Under the agreement, Corteva Agriscience will exclusively develop and commercialize a suite of seed-applied biological products based on Pro Farm’s proprietary technology platform, to give European growers the best tools available to stimulate plant growth and improve plant health, resulting in improved yields and crop quality.

Andre Negreiros added: “The kind of success we have seen with Lumidapt^® and Lumibio Kelta is only possible thanks to the strong Corteva Agriscience engagement with innovative collaborators such as Marrone Bio Innovations (MBII) and Pro Farm Technologies, and the unique relationship we have with farmers and consumers across Europe.”

As part of its commitment to meeting consumer demand for more sustainable agriculture, Corteva also announced an exclusive commercialization, supply and distribution agreement with Eden Research plc to support farmers as they strive to meet consumer demands for more sustainable agriculture.

The Eden Research agreement relates to products using Sustaine™ microcapsules, which are naturally sourced, plastic-free, biodegradable micro-spheres derived from yeast.