Silvec Biologics Inc. has announced that its RNA-based therapy-delivery product is registered for unconditional commercial use under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The product is registered under the name Construct CTV-SoD2.
“A new tool is now available to help strengthen citrus tree health and support the future of Florida’s citrus industry,” said Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, in acknowledging registration of the Silvec product. “We are encouraged by the growing options available to help citrus growers mitigate the effects of citrus greening and advance the industry’s recovery and renewal efforts.”
The product is based on a naturally non-transmitted version of the citrus tristeza virus that is already found in most Florida citrus trees. The virus has been reprogrammed to induce trees to produce a natural antimicrobial peptide found in spinach called defensin. Defensin has been shown to reduce citrus greening levels and provide long-term protection without modification of the tree’s genome.
“We are excited to build on 15 years of pioneering work by Southern Gardens Citrus … the University of Florida and Texas A&M,” said Rafael Simon, co-founder and CEO of Silvec.
Silvec plans to begin partnering with growers in late 2026 through Florida’s Citrus Research and Field Trial programs.
“In partnership with the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Silvec is currently working on several new product generations that provide enhanced protection against citrus greening and other bacteria, fungi and insects,” said Anne Simon, chief scientist and co-founder of Silvec.
“After years of collaborative research and development with the citrus industry and private sector, we are pleased to see the spinach defensin therapeutic technology achieve EPA registration with no tolerance limit,” said Kranthi Mandadi, director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center in Weslaco.
Learn more about the research leading to the product registration here.
Sources: Silvec Biologics Inc. and Florida Citrus Mutual
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