Pam Marrone targets resistant weeds with cocktails of microbial metabolites as bioherbicide space heats up

Invasive Species Corporation (ISC) is developing a new class of bioherbicides harnessing metabolite mixtures with broad-spectrum activity against grasses and broadleaf weeds, including glyphosate-resistant species, says CEO Pam Marrone.

Rising resistance and mounting regulatory and legal pressure are intensifying demand for herbicides that work in fundamentally different ways, says Marrone, who is going after new modes of action distinct from conventional chemistries.

“We’re going after some unknown sites, usually novel receptors on the plant,” Marrone tells AgFunderNews. “And that’s by design, because we want something that’s going to work on resistant weeds.”

The company is currently advancing two lead microbial candidates with a focus on replacing or complementing products such as pre-emergent atrazine—a chemical herbicide often used to control weeds before they emerge—and post-emergent glyphosate, which is used on visible weeds.