Fyteko receives European patent for ‘drought-proofing’ biomolecule

Date:06-20-2023

Fyteko, the Brussels-based agri-biomolecule pioneer, has confirmed that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted the company its first biostimulant patent.

The EPO’s decision on Fyteko’s hydroxycinnamic acid oligomers (HAO) – novel signal molecules that ‘prime’ the plant against abiotic stresses such as drought or extremes of temperature – is a significant boost for the company as it ramps up its European activity ahead of the new crop season.

″We already have a grant of patent for HAO in 78 countries,″ says Dr Juan Carlos Cabrera, co-founder, and chief technical officer, ″and the EPO’s patent marks the recognition of HAO as a new generation of crop biostimulants.

″HAO is characterised as a single active ingredient and an identified mode of action, which is a huge step forward in confirming the validity and value of advanced biostimulants,″ he adds.

Applied either as a foliar spray or as a seed treatment, under the brand names NURSPRAY^® and NURSEED^® respectively, the biomolecule is widely compatible with the active ingredients commonly used in conventional crop protection and seed treatment products. Even in the absence of abiotic stress, extensive field testing by the company and third parties has demonstrated significant yield increases in crops treated with HAO.

″EPO’s decision strengthens the company’s IP leadership in the still-emerging science of biostimulants,″ enthuses Dr Cabrera.

″This is one of six patent families within Fyteko’s IP strategy,″ he continues, ″covering different types of innovative molecules that we have discovered through our biomolecule development platform.

″All of them have the potential to increase and optimise crop yields worldwide, and with particular promise as a valuable new tool for farmers as we head towards what many agricultural and climate scientists expect to be a difficult time for agriculture.″

Only last month, the World Meteorological Organisation reported that world mean temperature were ‘more likely than not’ to pass the 1.5°C global warming threshold before 2027. Drought, high temperatures, and other weather events are expected to become more common – and more severe – as climate change evolves, presenting farmers with tough new challenges to maintain global food security while still seeking to improve farming’s sustainability.

Dr Cabrera says that as well as reflecting Fyteko’s research and development capacity, and its commitment to innovation, the patent grant also confirms Fyteko’s expertise and ‘ownership of the science’ in the important new field of biostimulant expertise.

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