In a move aimed at tackling the growing challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds, UK-based Moa Technology has entered into a multi-year research and development collaboration with global agriculture company Corteva Agriscience to accelerate the discovery of next-generation herbicide solutions.
The partnership will combine Moa Technology's proprietary herbicide discovery platforms with Corteva's expertise in crop protection research and development to identify herbicides with novel modes of action, addressing one of the most pressing challenges confronting modern agriculture.
The collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of innovative weed control technologies capable of overcoming resistance that has reduced the effectiveness of several existing herbicide chemistries worldwide.
"Discovering truly novel solutions to combat rapidly evolving, yield-limiting weed threats remains at the core of our innovation strategy," said Dr Virginia Corless, Chief Executive Officer, Moa Technology. She noted that partnerships with leading agricultural companies help speed up the delivery of safe, effective and economically viable weed management solutions to farmers.
Echoing the sentiment, Ashish Batra, Vice President, Crop Health Research and Development, Corteva Agriscience, said the collaboration brings together complementary scientific capabilities to advance the discovery of new herbicide modes of action. He added that the partnership is focused on addressing the escalating challenge of herbicide resistance affecting growers globally.
Herbicide resistance has emerged as a significant threat to global crop productivity, with repeated use of existing chemistries allowing several weed species to evolve resistance, thereby increasing production costs and reducing farm profitability. The discovery of entirely new modes of action has become a priority for the crop protection industry, particularly as the pipeline for novel herbicides has remained limited over the past few decades.
Founded as a spin-out from the University of Oxford in 2017, Moa Technology has developed a proprietary discovery platform that has identified a new generation of synthetic and bio-based herbicidal compounds targeting previously unexplored biological pathways. These innovations are designed to provide sustainable alternatives capable of managing resistant weed populations while supporting long-term agricultural productivity.
The agreement with Corteva marks Moa Technology's fourth major commercial research collaboration in the past two years, underscoring growing industry interest in leveraging advanced discovery platforms to expand the pipeline of next-generation crop protection products.
The partnership reflects a broader trend within the global agrochemical industry, where collaboration between technology-driven innovators and established crop protection companies is becoming increasingly important to accelerate the development and commercialisation of sustainable agricultural solutions capable of meeting future food production challenges.
