Platypus, an Israel based materials start up focused on sustainable pest control, has been named winner of the Bernard Blum Award for Innovation in Biocontrol. The award, presented during the ABIM congress in Basel, highlights new solutions that accelerate the shift toward biological crop protection. Platypus took first place in the category Product Assisting Uptake of Biocontrol with its material PlatyForm.
PlatyForm is a gel like matrix that can hold and release natural compounds such as essential oils or pheromones over long periods. Instead of these volatile ingredients evaporating or degrading after a few days, the material protects them and releases them slowly. In field trials, that prolonged efficacy has reached several months and continues to increase as the formulation evolves.
© Platypus
Changing natural pest control
Marina, co founder of Platypus, explains the impact bluntly during our call.
"The main challenge with natural active ingredients is that they are powerful but they do not last. With our material the release in the field can be prolonged up to one year. That is huge for growers," she says.
Longer activity means fewer field applications and less material used. For growers, that translates into reduced labor, lower total cost of application, and a meaningful drop in the number of chemical pesticide interventions.
"Instead of chemical pesticides, this technology can decrease the amount of chemicals used across different crops," Marina adds. She points out that manufacturers can simply mix their active ingredient with the material and immediately obtain a controlled release format without lengthy development cycles. According to Platypus, working with PlatyForm can cut development time and cost for manufacturers by up to fifty percent.
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That time saving on the supplier side matters. Biological products often face long and expensive development paths. A simpler route to market means more biological tools available sooner and a faster transition away from crop protection based on synthetic chemistry.
The company submitted its application months ago. Winning the Bernard Blum Award, Marina says, felt like a confirmation that the biocontrol sector wants solutions that help biological products scale.
© Platypus
"This award is like the Nobel prize of the biocontrol industry," she says. "We are very grateful to receive it. Building what comes next is even better. We are excited for the next steps to support biocontrol."
For more information:
Platypus
Email: [email protected]
platypus-ecodesign.com/