In The Spotlight

Moa's agreement with NAICONS gives the former exclusive rights to develop any new herbicides discovered in the library. (Image source: Moa Technologies)
Oxford-based agricultural biotech firm, Moa Technology has entered a partnership with Italian natural products company, NAICONS to find a safe, effective and affordable biological herbicide
With over 273 species of weeds that are now resistant to one or more commercially available herbicides, the need for new herbicides has never been more urgent. To date, Moa's platforms have screened almost 800,000 synthetic and naturally-occurring compounds, discovering over 70 potentially novel mode of action herbicides. Three synthetic herbicides with novel modes of action discovered by Moa have already performed strongly in their first two seasons of international field trials.
Moa's agreement with NAICONS gives the former exclusive rights to develop any new herbicides discovered in the library, with value to be shared from future licensing and commercialisation. CEO of Moa Technology, Dr Virginia Corless said the company is looking forward to applying the screening technology to NAICONS' high-quality library of actinomycete bacteria to find out whether a sustainable and effective biological compound can be discovered to assist farmers with controlling weeds.
"We are very excited about this collaboration," said NAICONS CEO, Stefano Donadio. "Our library has never been screened for herbicides and we are confident promising lead molecules will be rapidly identified through our powerful micro4all platform. Over 150,000 different molecules have been identified in the extracts sent to Moa and our team is eager to help in identifying the most promising herbicide candidates."

The adoption of a gender gap reduction policy highlights the Group’s commitment to social inclusion, promoting a sustainable and innovative business model. (Image source: Arrigoni)
Arrigoni, a leading European group in the design and production of agrotextiles for agriculture, has recently obtained Gender Equality certification in accordance with UNI/PdR 125:2022, thanks to the adoption of a company policy geared toward reducing the gender gap
Arrigoni’s new milestones extend the equity goals and complement the concept of openness and sustainability that the Group has promoted over the years. The policy is not limited to gender difference, but embraces and promotes the benefits of diversity in all its aspects, including age, ethnicity, geographic origin, seniority in office, disability and sexual orientation.
With the adoption of the new policy, every stage of professional life, from recruitment to career paths, will be guided by the principle of equal opportunity, inclusion and meritocracy. The document also explores aspects such as parental protection, work-life balance and professional development opportunities for women, questioning internal processes, formalising commitments and raising the bar even higher.
The new gender equality policy sets clear requirements over time for all areas of the company, including governance, human resource management processes, pay equity, and corporate culture. Appropriate reporting and monitoring systems will ensure the identification of any deviations from defined goals, allowing prompt action to be taken.
“With the Gender Equality certification we are determinedly pursuing the goal of developing a business model based on inclusion, innovation and valuing people in order to contribute to sustainable and lasting cultural change in society,” concluded the CEO of Arrigoni Group, Paolo Arrigoni, adding that the adoption of this policy would help in raising aareness to avoid gender stereotypes, while also contributing to the creation of a positive and inclusive work environment that adheres to the corporate vision of diversity.

Plukon has worked on minimising false rejections and ensuring the highest levels of metal detection by implementing Mitus from Minebea Intec. (Image source: Minebea Intec)
To address the challenge of metal detection in poultry production, Plukon, a leading player in the poultry supply chain, has implemented the metal detector Mitus from Minebea Intec
Metal detection is a critical aspect of food safety protocols, especially in environments where contamination risks are high. However, traditional metal detectors often struggle to accurately detect metallic foreign objects in poultry products due to their unique electromagnetic properties. This not only causes product wastage, but can also have a major impact on food safety.
To combat these challenges, Plukon has worked on minimising false rejections and ensuring the highest levels of metal detection by implementing Mitus from Minebea Intec. Equipped with MiWave technology, Mitus works by significantly improving detection accuracy and reducing false rejects. By detection even the smallest metallic contaminants with unparalleled accuracy, the technology helps in overcoming the limitations of traditional metal detectors.
Moreover, the new design eases frequent cleaning procedures, which are essential and rigorous in this environment. Mitus also ensures compliance with HACCP standards, providing peace of mind to both Plukon and their customers regarding the safety and quality of their poultry products.
"We’ve faced many challenges with false rejects over the past few years, so I’m really pleased to have these new metal detectors on our lanes," said maintenance manager, Jeroen V. "They not only save us time and reduce costs, but also allow my hardworking team to stay focused on what truly matters.”
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Ifigenia Urbina Barreto, PhD in Ecology and former Biome Makers employee conducting a tomato trial. (Image source: Biome Makers).
Biome Makers and Anglo American have collaborated on a joint research project on the impact of POLY4, Anglo American’s new low-carbon fertiliser, on the soil microbiome
The partnership involves soil trials that analyse and verify the impact of POLY4, Anglo American’s multi-nutrient fertiliser, on soil microbiome composition and functionality through a study on tomatoes and wheat in Spain.
Soil trials have confirmed that with a targeted approach, POLY4 is environmentally friendly and preserves native soil microbiome biodiversity and boosts microbial nutrient mobilisation of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and chlorine (Cl), improving plant nutrient uptake and development. The research also showed a reduction in soil electrical conductivity, thanks to the activation of calcium and chlorine microbial mobilisation, which further supports healthy soil ecosystems.
“Our collaboration with Anglo American shows our commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture through applied science,” said Dr Alberto Acedo, chief scientific officer of Biome Makers. “By leveraging BeCrop’s proprietary microbiome analysis tools and global soil database, we are able to provide companies like Anglo American with strong evidence of the positive effects of emerging ag input products on soil health.”

Plukon has worked on minimising false rejections and ensuring the highest levels of metal detection by implementing Mitus from Minebea Intec. (Image source: Minebea Intec)
To address the challenge of metal detection in poultry production, Plukon, a leading player in the poultry supply chain, has implemented the metal detector Mitus from Minebea Intec
Metal detection is a critical aspect of food safety protocols, especially in environments where contamination risks are high. However, traditional metal detectors often struggle to accurately detect metallic foreign objects in poultry products due to their unique electromagnetic properties. This not only causes product wastage, but can also have a major impact on food safety.
To combat these challenges, Plukon has worked on minimising false rejections and ensuring the highest levels of metal detection by implementing Mitus from Minebea Intec. Equipped with MiWave technology, Mitus works by significantly improving detection accuracy and reducing false rejects. By detection even the smallest metallic contaminants with unparalleled accuracy, the technology helps in overcoming the limitations of traditional metal detectors.
Moreover, the new design eases frequent cleaning procedures, which are essential and rigorous in this environment. Mitus also ensures compliance with HACCP standards, providing peace of mind to both Plukon and their customers regarding the safety and quality of their poultry products.
"We’ve faced many challenges with false rejects over the past few years, so I’m really pleased to have these new metal detectors on our lanes," said maintenance manager, Jeroen V. "They not only save us time and reduce costs, but also allow my hardworking team to stay focused on what truly matters.”

Monarch MK-V tractor demonstrating V2G through Borg Warner DCFC and Gridtractor CMS. (Image source: Gridtractor)
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)

CNH and x-Farm, an Italy-based agri tech company, have partnered to develop a pilot project in Uzbekistan as part of the Drops of the Future initiative. (Image source: CNH)
CNH's two key brands, Case IH and New Holland, continue to lead the way in advancing precision agriculture with the launch of innovative technologies and initiatives that aim to help farmers tackle water scarcity
CNH and x-Farm, an Italy-based agri tech company, have partnered to develop a pilot project in Uzbekistan as part of the Drops of the Future initiative. The project aims to demonstrate how precision technology and data from their machines can help farmers boost productivity and save water. The Drops of the Future initiative that has been set up by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), empowers young professionals through innovation and collaboration and helps tackle water scarcity in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
OSCE is focused on addressing a wide range of security-related concerns that include economic, environmental and human aspects. For the very first time, the organisation is working with private companies on the topic of water, agri-food production and energy to increase environmental efforts around water use, while improving production efficiency.