Descripción del proyecto
Control de «supermalezas» con bioherbicidas seguros y eficaces
Uno de los mayores desafíos de la agricultura moderna es el control de malezas. Nuevas variedades de «supermalezas» han desarrollado resistencia a muchos herbicidas sintéticos comunes, lo que ha provocado una reducción significativa de las cosechas y pérdidas económicas. SteriWeed, un herbicida biológico novedoso que inhibe el crecimiento de semillas de malezas resistentes, se creó para combatir este problema. Hasta ahora, ha demostrado tener un gran éxito en el control de un tipo devastador de amaranto en los Estados Unidos. El objetivo del proyecto SteriWeed, financiado con fondos europeos, es desarrollar los protocolos y la estrategia de comercialización de SteriWeed para combatir la cola de zorra resistente a herbicidas en cultivos de toda Europa. En última instancia, aumentará el rendimiento de los cultivos y cumplirá con los baremos de la agricultura sostenible.
Objetivo
Weeds cause more than 35 Billion € annual global losses, equivalent to 34% of crop yield. If weeds were uncontrolled, about 50% of the crops would be lost. Therefore, synthetic (chemical) herbicides have been used since the late 1940s. However, herbicide’s use has resulted in weed’s evolution. Hence, the most persistent challenge of modern agriculture is the increasing incidence of weed resistance.
Bioherbicides have been introduced as an efficient, yet environmentally-friendly alternative to synthetic herbicides. However, they perform inconsistently, have limited shelf-life, have potential adverse effects for humans and are not economically viable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new technological methods of weed control and management that do not depend on synthetic herbicide use.
We are developing SteriWeed, a novel biological herbicide based on treated pollen and designed to target the resistant-weed and not the crop. It is non-toxic, not chemical engineered, easy to apply and cost-effective. Our innovation lies in its simplicity as the SteriWeed production method consists of only two steps: natural pollen harvesting and irradiation. The results are inviable weeds, unable to produce seeds in the next season.
Today, our team of 6 employees with interdisciplinary background have reached the proof of concept of our technology for A. palmeri, one of the most threaten weeds in the US, reaching outstanding weed control results. The goal of this project is to expand our technology towards the control of the main resistant weeds threatening the European crops.
We estimate that in five years after launching the commercialization phase, SteriWeed will cover over 1.5 million ha across Europe, Israel and USA. We will reach €42 million in cumulative revenues (cumulative profit of €15.5 million – ROI 7.15). We estimate the payback time in beginning of 2023. We plan to hire 11 new professionals, technical experts as well as professionals in business.
Ámbito científico
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-SMEInst-2018-2020-1
Régimen de financiación
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinador
4673306 HERZLYA
Israel
Organización definida por ella misma como pequeña y mediana empresa (pyme) en el momento de la firma del acuerdo de subvención.