Plant Health Care (LON:PHC) , the group that develops naturally derived crop nutrients for the agriculture and landscape industries, has signed a research agreement with Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. (NYSE: SYT), to evaluate and possibly develop Plant Health Care's Harpin protein as a foliar spray in combination with a number of Syngenta’s major products.

In trials, Harpin has been shown to significantly increase yields on a variety of crops when applied in combination with other active ingredients. Syngenta will test various Harpin formulations in combination with a number of its own fungicidal, insecticidal and growth regulating products. Improvements in yield, plant health and product efficacy will be evaluated in a range of crop and production situations. Where a particular combination of products proves to be effective, the two sides intend to develop full, long-term commercialisation arrangements.

In July 2010, Plant Health Care announced its first agreement with Syngenta to develop and market its Harpin protein as a foliar spray in combination with Syngenta's herbicide products containing glyphosate. The combined treatment will be suitable for all crops that are tolerant to glyphosate, which is applied on more than 200 million acres worldwide per year. Plant Health Care said it believed that working with a major industry partner in this way was the best way to screen and identify commercial opportunities for the foliar application of Harpin proteins.

Harpin is a specific protein that activates a plant's innate ability to protect itself and enhance growth and yield. The technology offers the potential of yield improvement, suppression of pests such as nematodes and protection against damaging diseases, as well as additive plant performance benefits.

John Brady, the chief executive of Plant Health Care, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to expand our relationship with the leader in the crop protection industry. We believe there are strong synergistic opportunities between the two companies' product lines which this agreement will allow us to explore fully.”

Rusty Wendt, head of insecticide and fungicide brand management at Syngenta Crop Protection, added: “We look forward to exploring the Harpin technology and its potential to bring additional value to Syngenta product offerings and ultimately to our grower customers. Researching innovative solutions to boost biological performance, crop yield and plant performance and bringing them to market is the core…

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