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. 

Replacing normal polyethylene with Symphony's NbR resin is considered more environmentally friendly due to its ability to biodegrade after the harvest. (Image source: Symphony Environmental)

Leading sustainable plastics manufacturer, Symphony Environmental has urged farmers and growers to halt their use of ordinary plastic mulch films that are capable of contaminating soil and affecting food quality, thus calling for new plastic-manufacturing methods

To prevent the ongoing environmental damage caused by plastic pollution year after year, CEO of Symphony Environmental, Michael Laurier argues that farmers and growers must switch to the right kind of biodegradable plastic. To protect crops and reduce water evaporation, farmers and growers generally spread plastic mulch films on their fields. However, conventional plastic films cannot be recycled easily after use due to contamination and degradation. Moreover, when being removed from the field post exposure to sunlight and weathering, they tend to release fragments and microplastics that are extremely detrimental to the environment. 

Replacing normal polyethylene with Symphony's NbR resin is considered more environmentally friendly due to its ability to biodegrade after the harvest , without needing to be collected and transferred to a composting facility. Its degradating can be programmed to occur in the timescale required for each crop type. It will then act as a carbon source for next year's plants.

“This resin can be produced by mulch-film manufacturers at lower cost than normal polyethylene using their standard equipment, as it contains 20% less fossil-derived plastic,” said Laurier. “Plastic pollution of the countryside needs to be addressed urgently, and farmers and growers now have the opportunity to do this at no extra cost.”

The Synergen Guard range was in focus at CAC 2025, along with its new Dispersogen TP 100 T and the Sapogenat T range. (Image source: Clariant)

During the 2025 China International Agrochemical and Crop Protection Exhibition (CAC), Clariant unveiled its next-generation solutions for biologicals and innovative approaches to sustaining plant health by optimising soil water management

As global population continues to grow, climate change is posing a major threat to agriculture and food security. To combat these challenges, Clariant has launched an advanced soil adjuvent that is aimed at optimising the  efficiency of water used for sustainable agricultural practices. This helps improve vertical and lateral water movement within the soil, thereby ensuring a consistent distribution of moisture. 

The Synergen Guard range was in focus at CAC 2025. This included Synergen Guard 100, a performance booster and rainfastness agent for biologicals. This innovative nano-emulsion-based tank-mix adjuvant contains renewable wax and is produced by a unique proprietary highly efficient emulsification technology. It is biocompatible with a broad range of microorganisms, giving a powerful boost in coverage, efficacy, and rain protection to the biocontrol agent.

Besides this, Clariant will also be showcasing its new Dispersogen TP 100 T and the Sapogenat T range. The former is a high-performance anionic dispersing agent that finds application in suspension concentrate (SC) and can be used in conventional SC formulations with high cost-effectiveness, under a recommended dosage ranging approximately between 3-5%. It can also be used to solve common SC issues such as poor wetting, rapid growth of particle size, viscosity build-up, bad flowability, and even pseudoplastic and creaming issues. The latter on the other hand, has been designed as a replacement for nonylphenol ethoxolates (NPE), which has been restricted since March 2023. It functions as a non-ionic emulsifier based on tri-sec-butylphenol with various ethoxylation degrees. Considered the best-performing NPE alternative, it offers excellent emulsification power, making it a good wetter capable of increasing pesticide efficacy in foliar application.

Clariant's innovative solutions will be on display at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre from 17-19 March in Shangahai.