AI Transforms Weed, Pest, and Disease Control
As resistance to herbicides and pesticides escalates, a Connecticut-based agtech startup is changing the game. Enko is harnessing artificial intelligence and machine learning to fast-track the discovery of crop protection compounds, promising a future where farmers have more effective, sustainable tools-and sooner.
The U.S. crop protection sector is at a critical crossroads. With development timelines stretching beyond 12 years and costs exceeding $300 million per new active ingredient, traditional pipelines for herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides are falling behind the pace of resistance emerging in the field.
Tony Klemm, CEO of Enko, says it's time for a paradigm shift. "The system as it stands isn't built for the urgent challenges American farmers face today," he told AgriTalk.
Based in Mystic, Connecticut, Enko is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to accelerate the discovery of novel crop protection molecules. The startup's technology screens billions of compounds using DNA-encoded libraries, offering a faster and more precise route to finding molecules that are not only effective, but also environmentally safer and economically viable.
"We're not shortcutting safety-we're shortcutting inefficiency," Klemm emphasizes. While regulatory reviews still take time, Enko's platform helps get more effective candidates into the pipeline, cutting front-end discovery costs and shortening the path to market entry.
Enko's platform currently supports 50 active R&D programs, each targeting a specific challenge related to weeds, insect pests, or crop diseases. Many of these compounds feature novel modes of action-a critical factor as farmers grapple with resistance to existing products like glyphosate and dicamba.
One example is a new grass herbicide for the European cereal market, aimed at controlling black grass, a growing problem overseas. In the U.S., field trials are underway for corn and soybean applications, with projected commercialization timelines of five to ten years, depending on regulatory approvals.
Importantly, Klemm highlights that Enko's chemistries aim to reduce active ingredient load per acre, aligning with sustainable agriculture goals and reducing environmental impact.
"We're giving growers fresh tools to win that fight against resistance," Klemm says. "And we're doing it in a way that makes crop protection more resilient, responsive, and responsible."
As rising input costs, tightening regulatory standards, and increasing yield pressures converge, Enko's model could represent the kind of innovative disruption the U.S. ag sector has been waiting for.