Fyteko is an agritech SME developing breakthrough innovations in sustainable crop treatment. It creates scalable non-toxic solutions to boost food security and help farmers adapt to climate stress. Based on best available evidence, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says falls in agricultural productivity of up to 30 per cent could be expected during the 21st century (water availability decreases, droughts are becoming more sudden, pest and disease incidences will change, crops in some regions will reach their limits of temperature tolerance). Crop stress is expected to become one of the most significant challenges for the world’s farmers as climate change increases.
Fyteko believes bio-based products can contribute to agricultural resilience and agility, by providing farmers with the means to reduce their reliance on GHG-emitting inputs and practices, whilst helping them adapt to producing crops in a warmer and less predictable climate. Fyteko also aligns itself with the growing consensus that agrochemicals market (€5B) will change, towards a lower-input, sustainable model that delivers on dual fronts: productivity and environmental performance.
Fyteko has invented and patented biostimulants based on Hydroxycinnamic Acid Derivative Oligomers (a novel signal molecule). This signal molecule ‘primes’ the plant against abiotic stress – drought or extremes of temperature. Applied as either a foliar spray (NURSPRAY®) or a seed treatment (NURSEED®), the biomolecule is widely compatible with active ingredients commonly used in crop protection and seed treatment products. Even in the absence of extreme stress, Fyteko’s biomolecule demonstrated yield increases. These Hydroxycinnamic Acid Derivative Oligomers are a new generation of advanced crop biostimulants, based on a single active ingredient and an identified mode of action, they can increase and optimise crop yields worldwide.
NURSPRAY EIC Accelerator project objectives were to:
(i) Finalize the development of biostimulant products based on Hydroxycinnamic Acid Derivative Oligomers (NURSPRAY® and NURSEED®).
(ii) Conduct large-scale field trials in different countries and crops to complete the needed data for European registrations and business developement.
(iii) Prepare market take-up of this novel technology.
