GreenLight Biosciences (GreenLight Bio) has received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several states for its CalanthaTM product, designed to target and control the highly destructive Colorado potato beetle. The registration of Calantha, an innovative bioinsecticide based on RNA, represents an historic stride forward in diversifying options for farmers and reducing reliance on conventional chemical pesticides, which can harm both the environment and human health. Following the EPA and applicable state approvals, the company has now successfully sold and shipped its first order.
“The registration of Calantha marks not just a milestone for our company, but a quantum leap for farmers, our food system and security, and people,” said Andrey Zarur, Chief Executive Officer, GreenLight Bio. Zarur added, “This is an important news for farmers seeking to balance pest management with biodiversity protection and environmental health. Calantha embodies the promise of such a future, along with the dozens of other innovations in our product pipeline. We are thrilled to witness the impending impact of this commercial chapter of our company in creating a more sustainable future”.
Calantha offers farmers an additional cost-effective option to address the impacts of the mounting chemical pesticide resistance problem. The Colorado potato beetle, which decimates plants in the nightshade family, including potatoes, develops resistance quickly to traditional pesticides. The pest accounts for more than half a billion dollars in crop loss worldwide each year. In addition, as regulatory bodies around the world move to limit the use of certain chemical pesticides, Calantha offers farmers a safe, effective and easy-to-use alternative.
“Potato growers have expressed their struggle with managing the Colorado potato beetle due to increasing resistance to currently available chemical products. They want effective products that align with their sustainability targets. Calantha is the perfect fit,” said Mark Singleton, Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Plant Health. Singleton added, “I commend our team’s tenacity in bringing this product to market and eagerly anticipate the future milestones we will achieve”.
Calantha breaks down quickly, degrading within three days and leaving no harmful residue on plants or in the environment, soil or waterways. Consumption of the dsRNA (double-stranded ribonucleic acid) by the Colorado potato beetle – and only the beetle – causes it to stop eating and die from its own toxins.
As per the press release, even when tested at hundred times the rate that it will be used in agricultural fields, it has no effect on tested species other than the Colorado potato beetle. Mixed with water and applied using existing standard agricultural equipment and practices, Calantha is applied at less than one-tenth the rate at which many chemical pesticides are commonly used.
