Our Solution

Exploiting sterility to win the battle against resistant weeds

WeedOUT brings a totally new strategy into the world of weed control by developing a novel biological herbicide to fight off resistant weeds.

WeedOUT’s unique weed pollen ‎possesses 2 major properties:

It competes successfully with naturally occurring weed pollen and fertilizes the ovule
It leads to the formation of non-viable seeds

Susceptible weeds are destroyed by chemical herbicides. However, escaper resistant weeds that were not affected by the herbicides mature and reproduce. Consequently, their proportion in the total weed population increases rapidly and leads to an evolutionary drift. Our groundbreaking solution is designed to outcompete naturally occurring pollen and accordingly get evolution back on track.

WeedOUT’s novel technology is based on the development of a unique proprietary weed pollen, which is applied during weed flowering period via artificial pollination to prevent the generation of viable resistant weed seeds.

New mechanism of action for weed control that is orthogonal to all currently available solutions
Green, non-toxic, biologically based solution to outcompete naturally occurring pollen and to inhibit soil seed bank replenishment
Mimicks the weed’s natural reproduction mechanism, therefore provides a long-lasting solution with very low chances of resistant development
Faster and less expensive regulatory path
Designed to target only the weed and not the crop
Cost effective solution
Can be easily adapted and improve existing Integrated Weed Management programs
By blocking resistance spreading can prolong the use of current herbicide products and preserve their market

Our first product is aimed against Palmer Amaranth, ranked as the most troublesome weed in the U.S, according to surveys published by the Weed Science Society of America.

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In Palmer Amaranth, seeds resulting from artificial pollination with regular pollen exhibited typical weight and morphology. However, seeds obtained through artificial pollination with WeedOUT's pollen displayed a lighter color and significantly reduced weight.

Importantly, seeds derived from artificial pollination with WeedOUT's pollen completely lost their ability to germinate. These findings demonstrate the capability of WeedOUT’s pollen to block the formation of viable resistant weed seeds, thereby effectively inhibiting the spread of resistant weeds.

WeedOUT’s technology was successfully tested in various studies in Palmer Amaranth, and its high efficacy was demonstrated in multiple field trials in Israel and in the US.
Under field conditions, normal seeds of Palmer Amaranth develop through pollination with native airborne pollen. As illustrated in the figure, the application of WeedOUT’s pollen within the Integrated Weed Management program leads to a distinct and substantial reduction in the production of viable, normal weed seeds. This highlights the ability of WeedOUT’s technology to provide an efficient weed seed bank control approach.

The technology was also successfully tested in Proof of Concept studies with Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) that is considered one of the most troublesome weeds in the US.

We believe that our technology is highly applicable to many of the world's most problematic resistant weeds.