Limagrain Europe signals its bio-confidence with Fyteko’s seed treatment

Fyteko, the agri-biomolecule pioneer, is introducing NURSEED^®HC to the market in partnership with Limagrain Europe’s largest seed development company.

Fyteko’s breakthrough NURSEED^®HC seed treatment is now one of the components of Limagrain Europe’s market-leading biological portfolio treatment for maize (Starcover umbrella). 2023 LG maize sowing were performed using the technology at pilot level in France and Central Europe (Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, …) and Limagrain Europe will expand the offering to all European countries for the 2024 sowing. Limagrain Europe is also currently exploring the use of NURSEED^®HC on other field crops. 

″As crop production moves in search of a more sustainable model, driven by consumer expectation as well as policy initiatives such as the EU Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy, there’s a growing realisation that yesterday’s reliance onagrochemicals isn’t a solution to tomorrow’s challenges,″ says Guillaume Wegria, Fyteko’s CEO and co-founder. ″Moreover, farmers will need help to grow more resilient crops in the face of climate change, if agricultural productivity is to be maintained and Europe’s food security assured.″

NURSEED^® is based on a hydroxycinnamic oligomer, a biomolecule found within the cell walls of plants. Acting as a ‘signal’ molecule, it ‘trains’ a plant’s natural defence mechanism to prepare for stress events, such as drought or extremes of temperature.

These external environmental factors, known as abiotic stresses, are expected to become one of the biggest challenges for crop farming as climate change intensifies, presenting a significant threat to global agricultural productivity.

Hydroxycinnamic oligomers’ previously unknown role was identified by Fyteko’s co-founders in 2014. Further development and commercialisation of their discovery resulted in NURSEED^®, a biological seed treatment that delivered an average yield increase of 5 % over the past evaluations on maize –even in the absence of major abiotic stress¹.

″That’s a significant increase for any seed treatment,″ says Mr Wegria, ″sweeping aside the myth that biologicals are somehow less effective than conventional plant protection products. Our focus may be bio-based, but our approach is firmly science-led. That’s clearly evident in Limagrain Europe’s confident decision to adopt the NURSEED^® technology so widely.″

″As a pure seed player, Limagrain Europe selects and markets the most suitable seed treatment solutions adapted to our genetics & to the agro environmental conditions, bringing sustainable added value to the farmer″, says Freddy Pierrard, seed treatment Portfolio Manager in Limagrain Europe. ″Our agreement with Fyteko shows our growing confidence in Biologicals' future as a viable agricultural input″.

Limagrain Europe’s agreement with Fyteko extends across Europe, Turkey and Ukraine – where Limagrain Europe enjoys market-leading position. Registrations have already been secured and NURSEED^®HC is likely to be widely available for all of the territory for the 2024 crop season.

¹ Fyteko - Synthesis of GEP trials carried out in 2021 in France, Romania, Poland and Hungary

About Fyteko

Fyteko believes in a more sustainable agriculture. Inspired with original research, they’re making it happen. 

Founded in 2014, the Brussels-based agtech company is focusing on the creation of a bio-based input economy for agriculture. Its advanced crop biostimulants emulate solutions that already exist in nature. The company believes this offers the best approach to the common problems and threats facing global crop production, as well as consciously aligning itself with the growing consensus that agricultural is in transition to a lower-input, sustainable model that delivers productivity without compromising environmental performance.

As its development pipeline speeds up, Fyteko aims to build a standout portfolio, entirely biological, of relevance to the world’s major crop-producing regions: Europe, the USA, LatAm, Ukraine and Africa.

For further information, visit us at: www.fyteko.com

About Limagrain Europe:

Limagrain Europe is a pure seed player company with solid agricultural roots. Under its LG, international brand, the company is developing innovative solutions based on a multi-crop offer through 20 subsidiaries. LG is one of the European seed leaders in maize, wheat, barley, oilseed rape and sunflower seeds available in more than 50 countries. 

Limagrain Europe is contributing to progress in Agriculture every day, by offering genetic and agronomic solutions that allow farmers to achieve better performance while meeting environmental challenges and societal expectations.

Limagrain Europe is a Business Unit of Limagrain, an agricultural cooperative owned by French farmers and an international group, the fourth largest seed company worldwide. As a creator and producer of plant varieties, Limagrain distributes field seeds, vegetable seeds and agri-food products. 

For further information, visit us at: www.limagrain-europe.com

″2023 Seed Treatment Special″ magazine will come out this June. For Feature sponsoring or advertising, please contact Christina at christina@agropages.com.

Read 2022 editon of "Seed Treatment Special"