A new collaboration aims to evaluate bacteriophage-based biopesticides as a potential tool to manage Moko disease, one of the most damaging bacterial diseases affecting banana production in Central and Latin America.

EcoPhage has signed an evaluation and pre-commercialization agreement with Dole Fresh Fruit International, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company, to assess the company’s phage-based technology for controlling bacterial diseases in bananas.

Moko, caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, is a recurring disease that can significantly reduce banana yields and fruit quality. Because the disease spreads easily, growers rely on strict biosecurity measures, while effective control options remain limited due to the complexity of the pathogen, resistance concerns and regulatory constraints.

EcoPhage has developed bacteriophage-based biopesticides that target specific bacterial pathogens. The company’s technology uses naturally occurring, non-genetically modified bacteriophages that are screened, characterized and combined into phage “cocktails” designed to attack harmful bacteria while leaving other microorganisms unaffected.

The agreement will evaluate whether the technology can provide an additional tool for managing bacterial diseases as part of integrated pest and disease management programs in commercial banana production.

“The tools developed by EcoPhage, for dealing with bacterial diseases, harbor great potential, and align perfectly with [Dole’s] commitment to provide healthy products, grown in a sustainable way,” said Dr. Miguel Munoz, Dole’s research and development director in Costa Rica. “We are extremely excited to combine Dole’s own applied research expertise with EcoPhage technology to solve a huge problem in the banana industry.”

Guy Elitzur, CEO of EcoPhage, said the collaboration addresses a significant gap in bacterial disease management for tropical fruit crops. “Our R&D platform and the related bacteriophages-based crop protection products can provide solutions to the urgent unmet needs in the bactericide market in general, and specifically in tropical fruit,” he said.

Bacteriophages are naturally occurring viruses that infect bacteria. EcoPhage’s platform screens its collection of phages to identify candidates that can be combined into products targeting specific bacterial plant diseases.

If successful, the collaboration could expand the use of phage-based crop protection technologies in banana production, where bacterial diseases continue to pose a major challenge for growers.

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