Lavie Bio advances its bio-fungicide LAV321, targeting downy mildew, to pre-commercial stage following successful 2024 field trial results

Lavie Bio Ltd., a leading ag-biologicals company and subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), announced significant progress in the development of its LAV321 bio-fungicide, targeting downy mildew. Over three years of field trials across Europe, evaluating the efficacy of LAV321 in protecting crops from fungal diseases, LAV321 demonstrated an impressive average efficacy rate of 70% against downy mildew in grapes. These results lead to the decision to advance it to the last stage of product development toward commercialization.

Downy mildew is a damaging foliar disease of grapes, leading to yield losses of up to 75% in key growing areas^[1]. The global fungicide market, valued at over $24.5 billion in 2024, is projected to grow to $33.27 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%^[2]. As public interest in environmentally friendly farming practices rises and concerns about fungal resistance to chemical solutions increase, ag-biologicals like LAV321 are emerging as preferred solutions to address these challenges and promote sustainable agriculture.

In addition to the field trials targeting downy mildew, during 2024 Lavie Bio also conducted trials evaluating LAV321 for the control of late blight in tomato. The trials demonstrated an average efficacy rate exceeding 60%, equivalent to commonly used copper products, which LAV321 is intended to substitute. Late blight is a key disease in management of tomato and potato crops, creating an estimated $6.7 billion in global damages annually^[3].

LAV321 was discovered and optimized through Lavie Bio's Biology Driven Design (BDD) platform, powered by Evogene's MicroBoost AI tech-engine. It is designed to integrate seamlessly into farmers' existing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, enhancing productivity and sustainability while helping to prevent the development of resistance to conventional fungicides.

Amit Noam, Lavie Bio's CEO, expressed his satisfaction with the announced advancement: "We are very pleased with LAV321's performance over the last three years of our field trials, as well as in numerous trials conducted by several of our multinational partners. Our target of reaching 70% efficacy against downy mildew this year was successfully achieved, providing validation to our effective solution for key fruit and vegetable diseases, while fitting easily into current IPM practices. I am proud to announce that LAV321 has completed its development and is now entering the pre-commercial stage, with regulatory processes set to begin."

^[1] Plasmopara viticola the Causal Agent of Downy Mildew of Grapevine: From Its Taxonomy to Disease Management, Kseniia Koledenkova et al. Frontiers in Microbiology, May 2022

^[2] EINPresswire: Fungicides Market Growth Analysis With Investment Opportunities For 2024-2033

^[3] https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2021/wild-potatoes-tapped-for-late-blight-guard-duty/