Yissum and MAI to develop environment-friendly crop protection

Date:02-10-2010


 Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. technology transfer arm Yissum Research Development Company and agritech company Makhteshim Agan Industries Ltd. (TASE: MAIN) will collaborate on the development and commercialization of environmentally-friendly crop protection technologies. Yissum and Makhteshim will work together on two projects. The first collaboration is for the development of a novel method for producing slow and controlled release of herbicides. The second collaboration involves a novel insecticidal preparation combining a proprietary Chitin synthesis inhibitor (CSI) and a pathogenic fungus that kills caterpillars of night-flying moths, which are major pests for agriculture worldwide. Researchers expect the controlled release method will minimize herbicide contamination of soil and water. According to Yissum, the total worldwide agricultural and non-crop herbicide market is valued at more than $15 billion, of which approximately a quarter is dedicated to soil-applied herbicides and other pesticides. The second collaboration, uses CSI, a mild insecticide, which has minimal or no effect on non-target organisms and the fungus has no effect on beneficial insects. The CSI disrupts the production of cuticle, the insects external shield, which normally envelops and protects the insect body, after which the pathogenic fungus can easily attack the weakened caterpillars. Very high levels of control can therefore be achieved with much less CSI and fungus, minimizing environmental impact by reducing the insecticide component many-fold. Yissum CEO Yaacov Michlin said, "While increasing crop yields, herbicides and pesticides have a host of unwanted effects on human health and on the ecology. Therefore, minimizing their use is an important step towards a healthier environment for humans and animals alike." Yissum was founded in 1964 to protect and commercialize the Hebrew University’s intellectual property. Products based on Hebrew University technologies that have been commercialized by Yissum currently generate $1.2 billion in annual sales.