Two leading chemical companies are working to develop and commercialize what’s being called a unique post-emergence spray that promises to protect field crops during extended periods of extreme temperatures, drought and other stresses.

Invinsa crop stress protection technology is “a very exciting technology that we see as a new tool for growers to use to protect yields from heat and drought,” says Trent Leopold, vice president of Agronomic Business with AgroFresh Inc. “We’ve seen it over the last three seasons in North America and South America and have seen the potential for yields to be protected from 5 percent to 15 percent on wide variety of crops.”

AgroFresh, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rhom and Haas, has entered into an alliance with Syngenta Crop Protection to develop and commercialize Invinsa. “We are excited to enter into this strategic alliance with AgroFresh,” says Travis Dickinson, head of marketing for Syngenta Crop Protection. “Both companies will contribute resources to development and commercialization of Invinsa.”

Invinsa technology is a sprayable formulation of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), first developed by AgroFresh for the fruit and vegetable market.
Expect Invinsa to be commercially available in the next couple of years. Marketing focus will be on the row crops, especially corn. However, its wide-ranging efficacy could make it useful in a variety of crops. Pricing will hinge on customer evaluation of additional yield benefit and value to the grower, officials say.