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Innovation

DCM PEA-02®: the innovative and sustainable biocontrol product against fire blight

DCM PEA-02®, for which a European registration dossier has been submitted to the European Commission, will be the first bacteriophage-based biocontrol or plant protection product for use in horticulture in the European Union after a positive evaluation. It is an innovative and curative solution against 'fire blight', the bacterial plant disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora in apple and pear trees.

Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect bacteria, in other words, they are natural enemies of bacteria. The mechanism of action of bacteriophages is curative, while most other plant protection products against fire blight have a preventive effect.

DCM PEA-02® contributes to sustainable agriculture

The bacteriophages in DCM PEA-02® can only infect Erwinia amylovora. Because of the very specific mode of action of DCM PEA-02®, there is no impact on humans, animals or the environment. Bacteriophages are ubiquitous in nature and have a short lifespan outside their host. Because of all these properties, it can be concluded that DCM PEA-02® is a very sustainable alternative for the control of the bacterial disease fire blight in apples and pears.

DCM PEA-02® won the Gold Bernard Blum Award 2023 at the well-known Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) in Basel, Switzerland. This award is presented annually to the most innovative biocontrol product.