EcoPhage and Dole Food Company Announce Advances in Biopesticides Application Against Moko Threat to Banana Production
EcoPhage, a leader in development and commercialization of sustainable phage-based (aka “bacteria eaters”) biopesticides for bacterial plant diseases has signed an evaluation and pre-commercialization agreement with Dole Fresh Fruit International, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company (NYSE: DOLE), to apply the Company technology for the control of bacterial plant diseases in Banana.
Moko is a recurring and destructive bacterial disease which is a threat to banana production and requires strict biosecurity protocols and efficient crop protection strategies to prevent spread. The Moko disease (Ralstonia solanacearum) in banana is considered one of the main causes of yield loss, reduction of production and quality damage for farmers in Central and Latin America. To date, very few solutions exist due to the complexity of the disease, resistance issues and regulatory limitations.
EcoPhage has developed sustainable bactericide solutions for bacterial pathogens based on its research and development using a proprietary platform. Its solutions rely on rationally designed bacteriophage cocktails that target and eradicate harmful bacteria on crops. The company’s proprietary technological platform screens its enriched phage collection and then characterizes and selects the promising phage candidates to be used as a basis for highly effective and sustainable phage cocktails for antimicrobial crop protection. EcoPhage only uses non-GMO, naturally occurring phages. These undergo extensive screening, characterization, and selection processes to generate the most efficient “super-phage” cocktails to match the target bacteria.
“At Dole, crop protection strategies are grounded in integrated pest and disease management (IPM). We constantly look for innovative and increasingly sustainable approaches in our production”, said Dr. Miguel; Munoz, Dole’s Research and Development Director in Costa Rica, “the tools developed by EcoPhage, for dealing with bacterial diseases, harbor great potential, and align perfectly with our commitment to provide healthy products, grown in a sustainable way. We are extremely excited to combine Dole’s own applied research expertise with EcoPhage technology to solve a huge problem in the banana industry.”
“It is a great privilege to engage with Dole on addressing the bacterial challenges in Banana” Guy Elitzur, CEO of EcoPhage commented on the agreement: “our R&D platform and the related bacteriophages-based crop protection products can provide solutions to the urgent unmet needs in the bactericide market in general, and specifically in tropical fruit.”
About Dole Food Company
Dole Food Company, part of Dole plc, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit. Operating in more than 70 countries, Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.
Contact:
William Goldfield, Director Corporate Communications, Dole Food Company
Mail: William.Goldfield@dole.com
About Us
EcoPhage pioneers the development and commercialization of bacteriophages-based bactericides with minimal environmental impact and maximum efficacy. Harnessing the natural power of bacteriophages-viruses that uniquely target bacteria—EcoPhage delivers sustainable, effective and non-toxic solutions to bacterial diseases. Developed in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Science and The Trendlines Group (SGX:42T) (OTCQX:TRNLY), EcoPhage’s proprietary technology platform enables rapid development of novel products that help farmers increase yields, reduce losses, and promote ecological balance.
Contact:
Guy Elitzur, CEO EcoPhage
Mail: info@ecophage.com