Bayer has taken the initial steps to bring a new herbicide to market, “Icafolin-methyl,” which the company describes as agriculture’s first new mode of action for post-emergent weed control for broadacre crops in over 30 years. Bayer has already filed registration applications in four major agricultural regions: the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and the EU. Bayer aims to launch the new herbicide from 2028 onward starting in Brazil, followed by other countries over subsequent years.
Icafolin-methyl belongs to a new chemical class providing properties that allegedly allow for lower does rates, more targeted applications, and is “expected to demonstrate an exceptional safety and sustainability profile”. It works by targeting a specific part inside plant cells called tubulin, which is essential for plant cells to grow and divide.
Tubulin inhibition affects weed growth primarily by disrupting essential processes inside plant cells that rely on microtubules, which are structures made of tubulin protein. Icafolin-methyl blocks tibulin polymerization, causing cell division to stop (cell cycle arrest). Without cell division, weeds cannot grow new cells properly, leading to reduced plant growth overall. In addition to halting cell division, microtubule disruption affects cell growth and morphology. Ultimately, these cellular disruptions cause the weed to stop growing and die.
Icafolin has been developed for initial uses in soybean, cereals, pulses, and oil seed crops, as well as pome and stone fruits, tree nuts, grapes, and citrus. As a novel mode of action, it has unique properties and benefits. Weeds treated with Icafolin become “frozen” in the fields, meaning they stop competing with crops for water, nutrients and sunlight, but the dead weeds remain in the field longer because they largely maintain their structure. This has the added benefit of crating a mulch layer that helps prevent erosion and trap moisture in the soil, according to Bayer.
Importantly, Bayer says the herbicide is effective on many kinds of weeds, including those that have become resistant to other weed killers. Additionally, Icafolin’s intrinsic properties make it suitable for targeted spray applications and lower dose rates, which allowed Bayer to submit registration applications under “reduced risk status.”
Reduced Risk status under EPA’s “Conventional Reduced Risk Pesticide Program” indicates that a herbicide has been found to pose lower risks to human health and the environment compared to existing alternatives, and/or is expected to broaden the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies.
Icafolin is the first product to utilize “CropKey,” Bayer’s R&D approach to developing new crop protection products, which optimized the formulation recipe by considering multiple dimensions including efficacy, safety and sustainability criteria, and farmer convenience. Bayer says CropKey will continue to accelerate how researchers design instead of screen for new molecules, supporting faster development of future products targeting specific proteins in weeds, pests, and crop diseases. You can learn more at Bayer. (Sources: EFA News, The Packer)
