Agricultural company Don Agro International has joined hands with Smart Polymorph Technologies to launch a pilot project focused on optimising crop production using pharmaceutical innovations.

Headquartered in Moscow’s high-tech Skolkovo Innovation Center, Smart Polymorph Technologies specialises in developing new, improved and patentable forms of pharmaceutical substances.

As part of this programme, both companies will work towards enhancing crop production yields while minimising costs through well-known plant growth bio stimulants that have been modified into new crystalline and amorphous forms via the latter’s polymorphic modification technology.

Don Agro has earmarked experimental plots totaling 50 hectares to support this research.

The project will involve three different crops – winter wheat, corn and sunflower – which will be used as a test bed for the application of the new growth bio-simulator.

The latest initiative is part of the group’s ongoing efforts to introduce modern farming techniques and adopt new technologies, says Marat Devlet-Kildeyev, CEO of Don Agro.

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“Supported by our renowned partner in Smart Polymorph Technologies, we are confident that this initiative will reinforce our position as one of the leading innovators in the agricultural sector,” he adds.

Pharmaceutical drugs developed by Smart Polymorph have apparently displayed higher therapeutic effect as compared to alternatives present in the market.

“Smart Polymorph harnesses a unique technology in polymorphic modification of organic substances that is suitable and can be applied to a wide variety of medicines and bioactive substances used in the agro- industrial complex.”, explains Yakovlev Ruslan, the company's director of science.

He believes the same technology can be applied to the agricultural sector to "enhance the effectiveness of plant growth stimulants, pesticides and other related substances.” 

Shares in Don Agro closed down 2.5 cents or 6.67% at 35 cents on Sep 29, before the announcement.

Cover image: Don Agro