Plant protection by elicitors
Research, development and production of biological alternatives
The company FytoFend S.A. was created in 2009 and is located at Créalys, the Gembloux – Namur science park. Supported by public authorities, FytoFend conducts research, development, registration, production and marketing of biological elicitors that enhance plant defenses.
Context
World agriculture relies heavily on chemicals for crop growth and protection.
Current problems encountered by conventional pesticides concern on one hand their efficacy which is regularly broken down by rapidly evolving pathogens.
On the other hand, several active substances present up to now in classical pesticides have negative toxicological profiles for both humans and the environment.
Agriculture faces many challenges. One of them will be to provide food for 9 billion people by 2050, while arable land and the number of farmers are constantly decreasing. In addition, environment protection now appears fundamental. As such, a large number of chemicals will disappear. In other words, it’s about producing more and better with less.
With its recognized scientific and technical know-how, FytoFend SA develops solutions for the agriculture of tomorrow. Its flagship product FytoSave®, alternative to or complementary to chemical molecules, preventively stimulates the natural defenses of plants and makes crops more resistant to attack caused by pathogens. Derived from two natural molecules (pectin and chitosan), widely present in the human diet, the patented active substance consists of an oligosaccharide complex (COS-OGA). Not only its mode of action (crop protection by stimulation of natural defenses) but also its manufacturing process (designed in terms of durability) make FytoSave® the ideal solution to support ecologically intensive agriculture.