Certis USA Licenses New Virus Technology for Control of Fall Armyworm

Certis USA has entered into an agreement with Corpoica, the Colombian Corporation for Agriculture Research, to license Corpoica’s Spodoptera frugiperda nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) strain NPV003 and formulation technology to develop, manufacture and market biopesticide products for agricultural uses in selected countries around the world, including the Americas and Africa.

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a serious pest of many important crop plants, including maize, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, vegetables, forage grasses and cotton.

A native of the tropical and subtropical Americas, this moth’s migratory habits and the voracious appetite of its larvae have made it a pest of economic concern from southern Canada through much of South America.

The recent arrival and spread of the fall armyworm in Africa poses a serious risk to the region’s food security. The insect has destroyed the crops of small farmers who lack access to insecticides and other tools for effective management.

Building on its experience in the development and marketing of insecticidal viruses and other microbial crop protection agents, Certis USA recognizes the value of Corpoica’s NPV strain and formulation technology in providing biological solutions to such global crop protection challenges.