Syngenta Crop Protection and AI-driven crop health company Enko have reached a significant milestone in their collaboration to discover novel, broad-spectrum weed control molecules. This achievement marks a leap forward in herbicide technology, offering a much-needed solution to one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges: resistant weeds.

A New Approach to Weed Control

The partnership targets a groundbreaking Mode of Action (MoA)—the mechanism by which herbicides eliminate susceptible plants. Leveraging Enko’s innovative ENKOMPASS™ platform, the collaboration has discovered promising new leads for this MoA, significantly reducing the time and costs associated with traditional agricultural R&D.

“This novel solution will be an important breakthrough in the field of weed control and will represent a critical tool for resistance management,” said Camilla Corsi, Head of Research at Syngenta Crop Protection.

The Growing Challenge of Resistant Weeds

Globally, farmers face enormous losses due to resistant and aggressive weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, blackgrass, and Italian ryegrass. These weeds not only damage crops but also reduce yields, leading to an estimated US $32 billion in annual crop losses worldwide.

To combat this, innovations like new MoAs, manual weeding, and crop rotation are essential for sustainable crop protection. The collaboration between Syngenta and Enko addresses these challenges by targeting a plant-specific MoAas part of Syngenta’s “Safer by Design” research strategy, which aims to increase yields while minimizing environmental impact.

Why This Milestone Matters

The discovery of new molecules targeting resistant weeds advances the collaboration’s efforts to deliver innovative, sustainable weed control technologies. These molecules are now moving to the proof-of-concept phase, building on the earlier success of fungal control research announced by Syngenta and Enko.

“Weed and pest adaptation to changing climate conditions and resistance to on-market products will create a dearth of food in many parts of the world as populations grow,” said Jacqueline Heard, CEO and Co-founder of Enko. “By using our ENKOMPASS platform, we can significantly reduce discovery time for new safe crop protection solutions and get them into the hands of farmers as quickly as possible.”

A Step Toward Sustainability in Agriculture

This milestone reflects the potential of AI-driven innovation to revolutionize agricultural practices. The collaboration aims to deliver broad-spectrum weed control solutions that will enhance farmers’ ability to manage resistant weeds while ensuring sustainability and environmental safety.

By integrating cutting-edge research and technology, Syngenta and Enko are setting new standards for sustainable agriculture and paving the way for a resilient future in crop protection.

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About Syngenta and Enko

• Syngenta Crop Protection: A global leader in agricultural innovation, committed to developing sustainable crop solutions that improve yields while reducing environmental impact.
• Enko: An AI-driven company specializing in crop health, dedicated to accelerating the discovery of innovative solutions to combat pests, weeds, and diseases.

This latest milestone exemplifies their shared vision of empowering farmers with tools to address the challenges of resistance, climate change, and global food security.

Source – Syngenta