In a ground-breaking collaboration, Provivi, a leading provider of pheromone-based crop protection solutions, and Syngenta Crop Protection, one of the world&rsquo;s leading agriculture companies, announce the commercialization of Nelvium&trade;, a new mating disruption solution, to effectively and more safely control detrimental pests in rice. This crop serves as the primary energy source for half of the world&rsquo;s people. While pheromones have been utilized in agriculture for more than 30 years as a pest control method, this will be the first time this innovation has been applied to rice in Indonesia, the world&rsquo;s third-largest rice producer and one of the world&rsquo;s biggest rice consumers. &ldquo;We are committed to accelerating innovation that drives sustainable agriculture practices, and we&rsquo;re very excited by the potential of this partnership with Provivi,&rdquo; said Corey Huck, Head of Global Biologicals at Syngenta Crop Protection. &ldquo;Pheromones will be an exciting new addition to our portfolio, providing farmers with greater choices in managing insect resistance, reducing pesticide residue in crops, and addressing consumer demands. Our launch in Indonesia is a key milestone; we look forward to exploring more opportunities to introduce Nelvium&trade;, as well as other technologies, in partnership with Provivi.&rdquo; Pheromones are natural signaling compounds that effectively control pests by interfering with their mating behaviors, preventing pest reproduction. Because they are non-toxic and species-specific, pheromones do not harm organisms that pose zero threat, therefore helping preserve the diversity and abundance of beneficial insects and pollinators. The benefits of using pheromones in an integrated pest management program include their highly specific target activity and a mode of action, preventing, instead of eliminating, thereby supporting the preservation of biodiversity and the flourishing of non-target species. Pheromone solutions provide a foundation service in insect control, ensuring the natural technologies are able to maximize the validity and scalability of pest management systems, significantly decreasing the development of resistant populations. &ldquo;Provivi is developing the Pheron&reg; family of functional and cost-effective products for pheromone-based solutions to serve as a foundation for integrated pest management in the staple crops that feed the world,&rdquo; said Pedro Coelho, Co-Founder and CEO of Provivi. &ldquo;We are delighted to enter the market launch phase of our multi-year collaboration with Syngenta in Indonesia to help growers combat the extraordinary challenges caused by rice stem borers.&rdquo;
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About Provivi Provivi is a groundbreaking science-based company creating scalable, safer insect control technology that will improve the quality of life for all humans and our world. Provivi is developing the Pheron&reg; family of safe, effective, and economical pheromone-based mating disruption products, thereby offering an alternative technology as a new foundation for pest and resistance management in crop production. Provivi's patented production method enables a step-change in the cost of manufacturing pheromones, allowing the use of this proven tool in high-acreage crops such as corn, rice, and soy. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.provivi.com">www.provivi.com</a>. About Syngenta Syngenta is one of the world&rsquo;s leading agriculture companies, comprised of Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet.&nbsp; We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group. In more than 100 countries we are working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan we are committed to accelerating innovation for farmers and nature, striving for regenerative agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy and partnering for impact. 
To learn more visit <a href="http://www.syngenta.com/">www.syngenta.com</a> and <a href="http://www.goodgrowthplan.com/">www.goodgrowthplan.com</a>.
Follow us on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Syngenta">www.twitter.com/Syngenta</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS">www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS</a> and on LinkedIn at <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta">www.linkedin.com/company/syngenta</a>. Media Contacts Provivi Ani Mikaelian Global Communications Manager amikaelian@provivi.com
Syngenta Paul Minehart Head Crop Protection Communications North America Media.relations@syngenta.com 
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This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as &lsquo;expect&rsquo;, &lsquo;would&rsquo;, &lsquo;will&rsquo;, &lsquo;potential&rsquo;, &lsquo;plans&rsquo;, &lsquo;prospects&rsquo;, &lsquo;estimated&rsquo;, &lsquo;aiming&rsquo;, &lsquo;on track&rsquo; and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta, such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, compliance and remediation, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or commodity prices, single-source supply arrangements, political uncertainty, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.
&copy;2022 Syngenta. Rosentalstrasse 67, 4058 Basel, Switzerland.

Provivi and Syngenta Crop Protection launch pheromone-based Nelvium™ to control detrimental rice pests

<h1 style="text-align: justify;">Agriculture promotes sustainable phytosanitary management of maize crops, with the support of biotechnology</h1>
NR Noticias Mexico. December 2022
With the objective of promoting and extending the use of sustainable, modern and innovative methods that contribute to increasing the production of corn for national consumption, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development uses a technique emanating from biotechnology that, through pheromones, avoids the reproduction of the fall armyworm, the main pest of this crop.
This technique has been applied in around 24,000 hectares of corn throughout the country, of which 6,829 hectares are in Sinaloa, since it is the state with the highest production of this basic grain, highlighted the head of the federal agency, V&iacute;ctor Villalobos Ar&aacute;mbula.
In a press conference from Ahome, Sinaloa, the official said that, in this way, Mexico has an additional alternative for this new vision of an agriculture that we all want: more productive and socially inclusive, but, above all, more environmentally sustainable.
He explained that this biotechnological innovation, which allows reducing the use of agrochemicals, makes the practice in the field more efficient, with the reduction in economic and environmental costs, since it consists of placing in the plots, at the time of sowing, dispensers with baits containing this pheromone.
The pheromone confuses male moths, to prevent them from finding the female and thus disrupting the mating to reduce worm eggs that could damage corn plants, he explained to the creator of this technology, the Nobel Prize winner. of Chemistry 2018, Frances Arnold.
Villalobos Ar&aacute;mbula stressed that this is a very important advance that is within the reach of Mexican producers of all sizes, especially those for self-consumption, since it is becoming more and more expensive to control this pest.
Proposing different alternatives to combat pests is a task that cannot be postponed, since increasing the application of insecticides, fungicides and other chemical compounds causes the generation of resistance and contamination of the environment, which makes it increasingly difficult and expensive to produce food, he noted.
He indicated that allocating resources in each agricultural cycle to control pests and diseases leads to an increase in costs and a limited profit margin for producers, so sustainable alternatives must be explored to change this course that is running out and has a high environmental and economic cost.
We are on the frontier of an agriculture that is running out towards a new agriculture, whose important characteristic is respect for the environment and natural resources, said Secretary Villalobos Ar&aacute;mbula.
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Frances Arnold, stated that using pheromones to inhibit mating between the species of fall armyworm in 2013 was just an idea, but, after ten years of research by Pedro Coelho, an expert from the California Institute of Technology, it was possible to consolidate this method to interfere and create mating disruption in this insect.
In this way, he added, a low-cost "perfume" was developed, for the benefit of plants, nature and producers, thanks to the notable reduction in the use of pesticides in corn fields.
This technology has been successfully applied to high-value crops such as apples and grapes, but initially it was not thought to be useful for corn, he noted.
He highlighted that Mexico is recognized worldwide as a leader in corn production and sustainable agriculture, which is why it represented the best experimental field to test the technology, with the support of Mexican scientists from the International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP) and with the experience in pest control of technicians from the National Service for Health, Safety and Food Quality (Senasica).
The Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock of Sinaloa, Jos&eacute; Jaime Montes Salas, called to add to the agri-food policy in which the center is the well-being of producers and their families, with priority in the environment, but, above all, in health of those who produce food and those who consume it.
The also president of the Board of Directors of the Mexican Association of Secretaries of Agricultural Development (AMSDA) explained that Sinaloa promotes the transition towards agroecological agriculture, through the signing of agreements and technical annexes with the Ministry of Agriculture and INIFAP, among others. , to provide producers with technical support, training, tools and resources.
The president of the Maize Product System, deputy Serapio Vargas Ram&iacute;rez, affirmed that both bio-inputs and agrochemicals come from elements existing in nature, hence the future of food sovereignty lies in science and its application to find the intertwining, the doses and the harmony between them to use them for the benefit of the population.
In welcoming the event, the general director of Plant Health of Senasica, Francisco Ram&iacute;rez y Ram&iacute;rez, pointed out that one of the main objectives of the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Program is to increase sustainable production practices in the agricultural, aquaculture and fishery, in order to face agroclimatic risks.
He indicated that Senasica uses agroecosystem-friendly methods, such as geospatial technologies for monitoring pests or diseases and the use of smartphones for phytosanitary epidemiological surveillance and drones for the application of biological products.
See this article and others in: <a href="https://novaradio.mx/promueve-agricultura-manejo-fitosanitario-sustentable-del-cultivo-del-maiz-con-apoyo-de-biotecnologia/">https://novaradio.mx/promueve-agricultura-manejo-fitosanitario-sustentable-del-cultivo-del-maiz-con-apoyo-de-biotecnologia/</a>

Sustainable management of maize crops in Mexico

In November 2022, an additional commercial production of Provivi&reg; mating disruption pheromones dispensers began at the factory of our new business partner Formopack Ltd. in Spain, to meet the rising demand of growers in Mexico and soon, other regions of Asia.
This production process with state-of-the-art engineering, especially designed for the automated manufacturing of Provivi&reg; dispensers, meets the highest quality standards for optimum performance and product traceability in more than 200k hectares of maize crops. As stated by Provivi&rsquo;s Global Product Leader, Andres Laignelet: &ldquo;our mission is to bring modern technology within the reach of farmers around the world, so that they can protect their crops in a safer, more accessible and sustainable way and we&rsquo;re confident that we have found a committed partner in Formopack to do so&rdquo;.
The supply agreement between Formopack Ltd. and Provivi&reg; means another great step in continuous improvement in the production processes to be able to bring sustainable pest control technology based on mating disruption pheromones to more and more growers throughout the world.
About Formopack Ltd.
Established in 2017, Formopack is a company based on values and principles with a mission to implement cutting-edge technologies to make the world more sustainable.
From the beginning Formopack has been committed to ecology, in order to have a better and more sustainable world. We promote social responsibility and respect for the environment.
Visit: <a href="https://www.formopack.eu/en/">https://www.formopack.eu/en/</a>
About Provivi
We are a groundbreaking science-based company creating scalable, safer insect control technology that will improve the quality of life for all humans and our world.
Provivi is developing a family of safe, effective, and economical pheromone solutions, creating a new foundation for pest and resistance management in crop production. Pheromones are substances that serve as highly selective attractants for insects, allowing the control of harmful pests while preserving beneficial insects. Provivi&rsquo; s patented production method enables a step-change in the cost of manufacturing pheromones, allowing the use of this proven tool in high-acreage crops such as corn, rice, and soy.
About Pheromones
Pheromones are naturally produced substances that have been commercially used to disrupt insect pests mating for over 30 years. They are currently applied in approximately two million acres of high-value permanent crops such as apples, grapes, and nuts. The benefits of using pheromones are well established in the scientific literature: they enable a reduction of harmful residues on food while preserving biodiversity.
For more information, visit www.provivi.com, or find us on LinkedIn or Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
Media Contacts
Paulina Molo, Provivi Marketing Head Mexico&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<a href="mailto:pmolo@provivi.com">pmolo@provivi.com</a>
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Provivi® expands its network of manufacturers to bring mating disruption pheromones technology to maize growers in Americas and Asia

We look with hope towards the Future

Provivi Farmer Animation_EnKe

Pheromones are chemicals serving as signal mechanisms. Pheromones have a range of critical functions, including: signaling danger, marking territory, signaling a food source or route towards a food source, warning other animals to stay away, triggering sexual arousal and attraction and reinforcing bond to offspring.

What are pheromones, what do they do?

Pheromones are somewhat similar to hormones. The main difference between the two is that hormones work internally on an organism while pheromones work externally on another living being. Pheromones are therefore also called ectohormones or external hormones.

Are pheromones related to hormones?

Insect pheromones used for control of pest populations are not true “insecticides” because they do not kill insects. They influence insect behavior and disrupt the mating process, which in turn will keep populations at a lower level.

Are pheromones a kind of insecticide?

Ricardo is a veteran farmer, proud of his family and adventurous life journey between the US and Mexico. He is a man of words and stories. Together with his son, Obed, they grow corn, chickpeas, and sorghum, caring for his horse and 40 cows. After having mixed results with insecticides and being concerned about the risks using them, they are keenly interested in novel technologies like using Provivi's pheromone solutions to control insect populations.

Ricardo de Soto

Meet Ricardo with his family and beloved horses

Get to know Ricardo

Ricardo meets Provivi and prepares to try the pheromone solutions

Ricardo tries Provivi's solution

Ricardo evaluates his experience trying Provivi's pheromone solutions: (1) highest yield ever (2) a healthy crop (3) and most importantly, Ricardo and his son protecting themselves while controlling the fall armyworm.

Ricardo's special harvest

Azis loves agriculture. He works as a pest observer and farms his own rice fields. Farmers face difficulties controlling diseases and insect pests, and spraying is becoming a significant issue for the fieldwork, because of adverse health effects. Against the Rice Stemborer pest, Azis usually has to spray eight applications of insecticides per season. He hopes to find a way to reduce the need for spraying and to ensure a healthy crop - for himself, the village, and the consumers.

Wahyu Abdul Asiz

Get to know Asiz

See Azis and his neighbors try Provivi's pheromone solution.

Azis tries Provivi's solutions

See how Azis experiences a drastically improved yield and reduced insecticide applications. 

Azis's improved crop

Pheromones are natural compounds produced by insects that act as messengers affecting the behavior of other individual insects. Usually, wind-borne, they serve many roles, helping insects find a mate and food, but also escaping predators.
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Pheromones involved in finding a mate are called sex pheromones. They are usually released by female insects to attract a male. These powerful attractants can be synthesized artificially and be used in various ways for insect population control. One use is by confusing the male insects, so they cannot find a female. When the males do not find a female, the mating process is disrupted. As a result, reproduction is prevented, and less offspring will be produced in the next generation.
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This way of controlling the insect population and decreasing the size of future generations is the concept behind mating disruption.

Unlike traditional insecticides, which aim to eliminate insect larvae already present in the field, mating disruption does not kill insects. It is instead a species-specific, preventative method that hinders the next generation of worms and reduces the insect population over each season of use.
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Here is how it works: When a female insect releases a pheromone, it is said to be&rdquo; calling&rdquo; the male. Male insects can, in some cases, detect a single female from over a mile away. Detection of sexual pheromones from their own species prompts the male insects to fly upwind crisscrossing the pheromone trail left by the females until he finds his mate. Imagine trying to find your friend in a dark room, and the only signal is a whisper. Now imagine the same situation but add loud music to the room. Much like your friend&rsquo;s sound would be drowned out by the music, mating disruption works by drowning out the pheromone &ldquo;call&rdquo; of an insect.
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The principle behind mating disruption is saturating the environment with pheromones similar to those released by female insects. The male insects are unable to find the females, even if females are in the field. Her weaker pheromone signal cannot be detected in the pervasive cloud generated by the mating disruption pheromone.

What are pheromones

What is Mating Disruption

La embajadora de Provivi&reg;, Dra. Jane Goodall, recientemente se sent&oacute; con Clean Technica. Jane habla sobre sus esfuerzos agr&iacute;colas sostenibles con feromonas Provivi&reg;.
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Mira la entrevista completa <a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2020/04/22/covid-19-the-virtual-jane-busier-than-ever-on-earth-day-cleantechnica-interview/">aqu&iacute;</a>.

COVID-19 y la "Jane virtual": más ocupada que nunca en el Día de la Tierra - Entrevista de CleanTechnica

A menudo me preguntan por qu&eacute; Provivi&reg; ha elegido desarrollar su primer producto en M&eacute;xico. Dado que hay tanto ma&iacute;z en Estados Unidos y Brasil, &iquest;por qu&eacute; ir a M&eacute;xico?
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Mira el art&iacute;culo completo <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-provivi-proud-start-mexico-pedro-coelho/?trackingId=tKB1eNKIMkrpkrsBiGmIgw%3D%3D">aqu&iacute;.</a>

Por qué Provivi® está orgulloso de comenzar en México

En octubre de 2019, Provivi&reg; particip&oacute; en un taller de m&uacute;ltiples partes interesadas en Praia, Cabo Verde, &Aacute;frica, que se centra en la gesti&oacute;n sostenible del gusano cogollero.
Mira el art&iacute;culo completo <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/ca7524en/ca7524en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aqu&iacute;</a>.

Innovaciones para pequeños agricultores para el manejo sostenible del gusano cogollero

Jane Goodall respalda a Provivi®

Jane Goodall endorsement

Las feromonas son químicos naturales producidos por insectos y actúan como mensajeros afectando el comportamiento de otros individuos. Usualmente transportadas por el viento, cumplen muchos roles, entre ellos ayudar a los insectos a encontrar pareja y comida, pero también escapar de los depredadores. Las feromonas involucradas en la búsqueda de una pareja se llaman feromonas sexuales. Son liberadas por insectos hembra para atraer a un macho. Estos poderosos atrayentes pueden sintetizarse artificialmente y usarse de varias maneras. Uno de los usos es confundir a los insectos macho, para que no encuentren a la hembra, interrumpiendo el proceso de apareamiento y así controlando la población. Este es el concepto detrás de la interrupción del apareamiento o confusión sexual.

¿Qué es una feromona de confusión sexual? 

Las feromonas son de algún modo similares a las hormonas. La principal diferencia entre las dos, es que las hormonas trabajan internamente en un organismo, mientras que las feromonas trabajan externamente en otro ser vivo. Por lo tanto, las feromonas también se llaman hormonas externas.

¿Las feromonas están relacionadas con las hormonas? 

Las feromonas de insectos utilizadas para el control de las poblaciones de plagas no son verdaderos "insecticidas" porque no matan insectos. Influyen en el comportamiento de los insectos e interrumpen el proceso de apareamiento, lo que a su vez mantendrá a las poblaciones en un nivel inferior.

¿Son las feromonas un tipo de insecticida? 

Felipe opera su granja familiar, donde comenzó a los 12 años, además de realizar sus estudios. En la granja también tiene una clínica quiropráctica, como lo hicieron su padre y su abuelo. Cultiva maíz y cosecha para sus animales, entre los que se encuentran sus amados gallos. La producción de maíz se ve desafiada por los ataques del gusano cogollero, lo que lo obliga a rociar insecticidas hasta 9 veces por temporada. Trata de mejorar el manejo de esta plaga y su producción y escucha atentamente los consejos y sugerencias de los agrónomos. “Rociando menos, ahorraremos dinero y tendremos una mejor calidad de vida”.

Felipe Aguirre

Felipe cultivando y siendo quiropráctico

Conoce a Felipe

Felipe improved crop productivity while reducing insecticide spraying

Felipe's improved harvest

Agustín cree que la agricultura es un trabajo duro pero hermoso. Un buen día es levantarse temprano y regresar cansado de los campos. Con más de 20 años de experiencia, Agustín opera varias granjas, donde trabajan hasta 250 personas en sus campos de maíz, sorgo, tomate, espárragos, cebollas y muchos más. La rentabilidad de la granja está bajo presión, y con los altos costos de los insumos, le molesta ver tomates en las tiendas cinco veces más caros que su precio de venta. Para Agustín, es esencial tener una visión y producir alimentos saludables con menos agroquímicos por el bien de sus 

Agustín Robles Miranda

Conoce a Agustín

Las feromonas son compuestos naturales producidos por insectos, que act&uacute;an como mensajeras afectando el comportamiento de otros individuos insectos. Por lo general, transportadas por el viento, cumplen muchas funciones, ayudando a los insectos a encontrar pareja y comida, pero tambi&eacute;n a escapar de los depredadores.
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Las feromonas involucradas en la b&uacute;squeda de pareja se llaman feromonas sexuales. Suelen ser liberadas por insectos hembra para atraer a un macho. Estos poderosos atrayentes pueden sintetizarse artificialmente y usarse de diversas formas para el control de poblaciones de insectos. Un uso es confundir a los insectos machos para que no puedan encontrar una hembra. Cuando los machos no encuentran una hembra, el proceso de apareamiento se interrumpe. Como resultado, se evita la reproducci&oacute;n y menos descendencia se producir&aacute; en la pr&oacute;xima generaci&oacute;n.
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Esta forma de controlar la poblaci&oacute;n de insectos y disminuir el tama&ntilde;o de las generaciones futuras es el concepto detr&aacute;s de la interrupci&oacute;n del apareamiento o confusi&oacute;n sexual.

A diferencia de los insecticidas tradicionales, que tienen como objetivo eliminar las larvas de insectos ya presentes en el campo, la interrupci&oacute;n del apareamiento o confusi&oacute;n sexual no mata a los insectos. En cambio, es un m&eacute;todo preventivo espec&iacute;fico para una especie que dificulta la pr&oacute;xima generaci&oacute;n de gusanos y reduce la poblaci&oacute;n de insectos durante cada temporada de uso.
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As&iacute; es como funciona: cuando un insecto hembra libera una feromona, se dice que est&aacute; "llamando" al macho. Los insectos machos pueden, en algunos casos, detectar una sola hembra a m&aacute;s de una milla de distancia. Atra&iacute;dos hacia una concentraci&oacute;n creciente de feromonas, los insectos machos volar&aacute;n contra el viento entrecruzando el rastro de feromonas dejado por la hembra, hasta que encuentre a su pareja. Imag&iacute;nate tratando de encontrar a tu amigo en una habitaci&oacute;n oscura, y la &uacute;nica se&ntilde;al es un susurro. Ahora imagina la misma situaci&oacute;n pero agrega m&uacute;sica fuerte a la habitaci&oacute;n. Al igual que el sonido de tu amigo se ahogar&iacute;a con la m&uacute;sica, la interrupci&oacute;n del apareamiento funciona ahogando la "llamada" de feromonas de un insecto.
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El principio detr&aacute;s de la interrupci&oacute;n del apareamiento o confusi&oacute;n sexual, es saturar el medio ambiente con feromonas similares a las liberadas por los insectos hembra. Los insectos macho no pueden encontrar a las hembras, incluso si las hembras est&aacute;n en el campo. Su se&ntilde;al de feromona m&aacute;s d&eacute;bil no se puede detectar en la nube omnipresente generada por la feromona de confusi&oacute;n sexual.