By Janet Kanters

A French consortium has launched a three-year, €3 million (US$3.4M) project to develop biological crop protection solutions for tomatoes, bringing together antimicrobial enzymes, biocontrol microorganisms, lipopeptides and natural antifungal substances.

The BIOSPHÆRE project, coordinated by Gene&GreenTK, brings together Lipofabrik (Eléphant Vert Group), INRAE and Enigma. Running from January 2026 to December 2028, the initiative has received €1.5 million (US$1.7M) in public funding through France’s Regionalized i-Demo Program under the France 2030 initiative.

The project aims to develop biological alternatives to conventional crop protection products for managing key tomato pests, as well as bacterial and fungal diseases. Tomatoes were selected because of their economic importance in southern France and the increasing crop protection challenges facing growers.

The consortium will develop and evaluate biological solutions based on antimicrobial enzymes, biocontrol lipopeptides, biocontrol microorganisms and natural antifungal substances. The work will include production and formulation of active ingredients, field trials under commercial growing conditions, and studies on manufacturing, economic viability and regulatory requirements.

“BIOSPHÆRE embodies a new generation of biological solutions capable of addressing the agricultural, environmental, and industrial challenges of tomorrow,” said David Daudé, CEO of Gene&GreenTK.

Luc Maertens, Chief Strategy & Portfolio Officer at Lipofabrik – Eléphant Vert Group, said the project is intended to help growers improve production reliability. “BIOSPHÆRE goes beyond delivering a product. It provides practical solutions to help tomato growers manage uncertainty and operate their crops in a more stable and reliable way,” he said.

According to the consortium, the project is expected to support reduced reliance on chemical pesticides, expand the availability of biological crop protection options for growers, strengthen food production and advance agroecological farming practices in southern France and other regions.