Biotalys announces results of independent field trials in the U.S.
Biotalys (Euronext – BTLS), an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for crop protection, today announced the continued strong performance of its first biofungicide candidate EVOCA™* in independent efficacy field trials conducted by highly reputed public institutes in the U.S. EVOCA performed as a true replacer for existing crop protection products to combat fungal diseases in grapevines and strawberries. The results confirm the previous findings by independent academics as published earlier on Biotalys’ website.
EVOCA aims to provide fruit and vegetable growers with a safe new crop protection product to help control the devastating fungal diseases Botrytis and powdery mildew. By offering a novel, biodegradable tool EVOCA can contribute to reducing dependency on chemical pesticides and development of pathogen resistance.
Dr. Eva Van Hende, Biotalys’ Head of Regulatory and Field Development, noted: “These independent field trials by prestigious academic institutions in the United States continue to validate the efficacy of EVOCA, our first biocontrol developed on our AGROBODY™ technology platform. We are dedicated to obtaining regulatory approval for this product and to creating an expansive pipeline of biocontrols to support the transition to safer, more sustainable agricultural practices.”
The trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 by the University of California Davis and the University of Florida and are industry gold-standard studies that provide growers and crop advisors with detailed information on the performance of crop protection products. In these grape and strawberry trials, EVOCA was tested among many other treatments and a non-treated control plot, enabling the comprehensive comparison of its performance with conventional chemical and biological fungicide products.
The outcome of the academic studies in California is particularly relevant as California is the largest U.S. grape market. In that respect, the Californian Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has been reviewing the regulatory dossier for EVOCA submitted by Biotalys in April 2021. The company now understands that the CDPR has finalized its own in-depth review, opening a path to a swift approval at state level if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves the product at federal level.
Study highlights
EVOCA performed as a true replacer for chemical products as well as a top performing biological option to combat Botrytis in grapes, in particular at the critical flower (or bloom) application window;
EVOCA proved consistent protection against Botrytis in a variety of application programs for grapevines;
EVOCA was part of the best performing biofungicide rotation scheme against Botrytis in grapes;
In strawberry trials, rotation programs including EVOCA provided equivalent protection against powdery mildew as chemical-only rotations.