Spudman February 2023 - 5

The opportunity for Calantha™
to control CPB and
benefit farmers, plants, and the environment
How the same technology behind personalized medicine can help agriculture too
Accounting for more than $500
million annually in crop loss worldwide,
the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) can
decimate plants in the nightshade family,
especially potatoes, and is highly prone
to developing resistance to insecticides,
according to a study commissioned by
GreenLight Biosciences, Inc. ( " GreenLight. " )
GreenLight aims to address some of
the planet's biggest challenges with a
pipeline of RNA-based solutions that has
the potential to benefit human, plant, and
animal health. In agriculture, the company
is developing products that protect yield
and promote sustainability. The company's
pipeline of potential agricultural RNA
solutions includes control of the Colorado
potato beetle as well as potential
solutions for protecting honeybees and
various other crops. In human health, the
company is developing vaccines and RNA
therapeutics to alleviate or cure critical
diseases facing patients worldwide.
" Calantha is a foliar insecticide that
is specifically designed to control
the Colorado potato beetle without
having any known impact on nontarget
organisms, " said Brian Manley,
GreenLight's director of technical sales.
Calantha™, GreenLight's potential CPB
product, is currently under review at the
Environmental Protection Agency and not
available for commercial sale.
" It's an exciting new technology
based on RNA. It prevents an essential
protein in the beetle from being formed,
resulting in the Colorado potato beetle
building up toxins in its body. In our field
trials, conducted over multiple years
at locations across the country, we are
seeing defoliation protection on par with
industry standard products. "
Often, multiple modes of action are
needed to successfully control CPB, which
can be a devastating pest to potatoes across
the globe. GreenLight's RNA technology can
help combat these CPB infestations.
Calantha works in many different
environments and is easy for the grower to
use. Growers mix it with water and spray
the insecticide using standard agricultural
practices like ground or aerial application.
The solution is designed to specifically
affect the target pest. Through testing,
results support that Calantha is safe for
butterflies, honeybees, and other nontarget
insects, leaving no known impact
on beneficial insects or other pollinators,
according to Manley.
Calantha is a new technology with a novel
mode of action. The Insecticide Resistance
Action Committee (IRAC) has provisionally
granted a new classification for the
product. Subject to EPA approval, this
would bring a new tool to growers and help
fight resistance among CPB populations.
Mark Singleton, general manager and
chief commercial officer of GreenLight,
outlined how RNA technology is beneficial
in agriculture practices.
" With RNA, products can be specifically
designed to target the pest that the
farmer needs to control without damaging
beneficials that also may protect the crop.
As we continue designing RNA technology,
we can eventually develop solutions that
attack more than one species and add
multiple targets, ultimately benefiting the
grower, " Singleton said. " RNA technology
takes the principles of integrated pest
harming beneficial organisms.
" An important thing to know is that
sprayable RNA is not a genetically modified
organism. Calantha has the potential to do
a lot of good for the farmer, without doing
anything detrimental to the environment, "
Singleton said.
Working to empower farmers and
the agriculture industry, GreenLight
Biosciences has a clear mission: to grow
food that is safe for human consumption
and beneficial to the environment. Through
research, targeted development, and
commercialization, GreenLight can create
solutions benefiting insect populations and
protecting pollinators, all while maintaining
water quality and soil health.
management everyone aspires to and makes
the process easier and more powerful. "
RNA dissipates quickly and GreenLight's
tests of Calantha show no residue in potato
tubers when applied. According to Singleton,
when RNA is sprayed, it is short-lived-
meaning it does not persist more than a few
days in soil or water after it is used.
" RNA is continually recycled by all living
organisms, which makes it more beneficial
for the environment. Our manufacturing
process takes used biological material and
recycles it into new biological material that
is highly functional. Our RNA product is not
heavily reliant on multiple, large quantities of
solvents and raw materials, " Singleton said.
Singleton emphasizes how well
Calantha fits within an integrated pest
management (IPM) model because of its
design to attack specific pests. GreenLight
aims to bring products to the agriculture
market that make sense to growers-
attacking unwanted pests while not
ADVERTISEMENT | © 2023 GreenLight Biosciences, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of GreenLight Biosciences Holdings, PBC

https://greenlightbiosciences.com/

Spudman February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spudman February 2023