“We’re really excited by these findings which bring us one step closer to delivering safe, effective micro-peptide ICAs to market,” said SOLASTA Bio’s CEO and co-founder, Shireen Davies.
Glasgow-based agritech startup SOLASTA Bio moves closer to market following successful field trials of its green bioinsecticides.
Founded in 2020, SOLASTA Bio has developed what’s been said to be the world’s first technology platform for creating neuropeptide-based insect control agents (ICAs)—bioinsecticides that aren’t based on synthetic chemicals, are environmentally-friendly, and can help preserve the ecosystem by protecting beneficial pollinators.
Trials of SOLASTA Bio’s ICAs demonstrated efficacy on par or better than commercial standard across 20 field trials on multiple crops in the UK, Europe, and US.
Field trials targeting aphids—small, sap-sucking insects—were conducted on sugar beet, vining peas, cotton, lettuce, cucumber, and melon sites across the UK and Europe, while bioinsecticides targeting the Spotted Wing Drosophila fruit fly and caterpillar pests were deployed on crop sites in the US and Europe.
During trials in Greece, the company was also able to deploy new bioinsecticides against the emerging pest problem of leafhoppers on a cotton crop site. The deployed bioinsecticides demonstrated leafhopper control at levels better than commercial standard.
The trials also showed that beneficial insects continued to thrive in crops treated with the Scots startup’s pollinator-safe products.
The firm says that, with these latest results, it remains on course to bring its first ICAs to market in 2027/2028, in at least half the time traditionally taken by synthetic chemical pest control products.
Shireen Davies, the co-founder and CEO of SOLASTA Bio, said: “We’re really excited by these findings which bring us one step closer to delivering safe, effective micro-peptide ICAs to market.
“These outstanding trial results demonstrate our ICAs consistently perform on par or better than commercial standards across multiple pests, crops and territories. We are focusing now on expanding these as we ready these game-changing ICAs for growers worldwide.”
The global insecticides market is currently dominated by synthetic chemicals—accounting for 94% of insect control solutions—with a projected 2028 value of around $27 billion (£21b). While 75% of food crops are dependent on pollinator insects, other insects can cause enormous social, health and economic damage, accounting for at least $70 billion ($55b) in US crop losses alone.