Syngenta Crop Protection and French biosolutions company Amoéba have converted their November 2025 memorandum of understanding into a long-term commercial and development agreement for a next-generation biofungicide designed to tackle septoria and yellow rust in cereals.
The deal centres on AXP20, a biofungicide based on the lysate of the amoeba Willaertia magna C2c Maky, and marks a significant step forward from the initial collaboration outlined last year.
MoU evolves into commercial partnership
At the time, AgNavigator reported that Syngenta was betting on Amoéba’s technology as a potential new weapon against Europe’s growing cereal disease challenge. The latest agreement formalises that partnership and paves the way for commercialisation across major European grain markets.
Under the deal, Syngenta will hold exclusive distribution rights for all cereals except corn across the EU-27, the UK, Ukraine and Switzerland.
Targeting major cereal diseases
The companies are initially focusing on septoria tritici blotch (Zymoseptoria tritici) and yellow rust (Puccinia striiformis), two of the most economically damaging fungal diseases affecting European cereals.
Together, the diseases impact an estimated 9-12 million hectares annually. Septoria can cause yield losses of up to 50% in affected crops, while yellow rust can reduce yields by as much as 70% and, in severe cases, lead to total crop failure in susceptible varieties.
The partnership arrives as growers face increasing pressure from fungicide resistance and tighter regulatory constraints on conventional crop protection products.
“With conventional crop protection facing mounting regulatory and resistance headwinds, this next-generation biofungicide arrives at exactly the right moment,” said Matthew Pickard, Syngenta’s head of seedcare and biologicals for Europe.
“It is a genuine breakthrough for our biocontrol portfolio and for every cereal farmer looking to protect their yields and strengthen the resilience of their farming system.”
An unusual biological solution
A key differentiator of AXP20 is its biological origin.
Derived from a single-celled amoeba, the product works primarily by preventing fungal spores from germinating. According to the companies, field trials have demonstrated efficacy against both septoria and yellow rust while also stimulating the plant’s natural defence mechanisms.
The active substance received EU approval in 2025 following assessment by the European Food Safety Authority, while Amoéba secured French marketing authorisation for AXPERA, a product based on the same technology, in June 2026.
The Fungicide Resistance Action Committee classifies the technology within its BM02 biologicals group, which covers products with multiple modes of action and a low risk of resistance development.
Registration targeted for 2028
The companies are investing heavily in validation ahead of launch, conducting more than 70 field trials during 2026.
First market registrations are expected in core EU markets during the third quarter of 2028, with initial sales anticipated by the end of that year and on-farm use beginning in spring 2029 in wheat, spelt and triticale.
For Amoéba, the agreement represents a major commercial milestone.
“Among many biological solutions, Syngenta’s screening selected AXP20 as the highest-performing biofungicide,” said Jean-Marc Petat, managing director of Green for Agro, Amoéba’s biosolutions subsidiary.
Beyond cereals, both companies are already exploring opportunities to expand the technology into additional crops and geographies, positioning AXP20 as a potentially important new platform in the rapidly growing biologicals market.
