Syngenta Unveils VIRESTINA™ Technology, a Global Breakthrough in Controlling Grass Weeds

BASEL, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 7, 2026--

Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural innovation, is bringing to market the world’s first selective herbicide to control resistant grass weeds in soybean and cotton in nearly 40 years.

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Today, Syngenta announced the global launch of VIRESTINA™ technology (active ingredient: metproxybicyclone), after Argentina became the first country in the world to approve the technology. Syngenta is also planning to bring this innovation to Brazil, Australia, the U.S., and Canada.

Argentina – the world’s third largest producer of soybeans – ranks among the most innovative agricultural markets worldwide, with its farmers often being the first globally to access cutting-edge agricultural technologies. Soybeans are one of the world’s most important crops, containing a high concentration of essential amino acids and valued as an important source of high-protein animal feed.

Resistant weeds are a persistent threat to growers as they survive herbicide applications and remain in the field to compete with crops for nutrients, sunlight, and water. At the same time, such weeds act as a “green bridge” for pests, viruses, fungi and bacteria that infect crops. Resistant weeds can dramatically reduce harvest yields and decimate the value of agricultural farmland.

Amid a rise in the spread and severity of weed resistance globally, VIRESTINA™ technology is set to deliver an urgently-needed reprieve to growers faced with a shrinking toolbox of effective options. Over the past few decades, limited herbicide technologies have been successfully brought to market; the ability of resistant weeds to metabolize and be cross-resistant is further exacerbating the challenge. Herbicide resistance is officially reported today in 75 countries and affects farmers of more than 100 crops; grass weeds account for 40 percent of the 273 weed species afflicted.

VIRESTINA™ technology marks an important innovation in herbicide technology. In key crops such as soybean and cotton, the technology is highly effective in controlling grass weeds that are resistant to common herbicides like glyphosate and clethodim. Safe to use over crops, VIRESTINA™ technology also breaks down rapidly in soil, ensuring an excellent safety profile and a reduced environmental footprint. Farmers benefit from greater flexibility during crop rotations and in their choice of cover crops, while lowering soil compaction and greenhouse gas emissions as they reduce the number of passes of heavy farm machinery necessary to control resistant grass weeds.

Scientists at Syngenta’s cutting-edge Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre in the UK leveraged predictive science to bring this innovation to market in just 10 years – significantly faster than the average 12-14 year timelines for agricultural technologies – reflecting Syngenta’s nuanced understanding of the challenges growers face, and its commitment to deliver effective solutions.

“At Syngenta, our innovations have an important role in enabling growers to address some of the biggest challenges they face,” said Ioana Tudor, Syngenta’s Global Head of Crop Protection Marketing. “VIRESTINA™ technology demonstrates Syngenta’s ability to foresee a challenge a decade earlier, to accelerate our research and development timeline and successfully deliver an innovation that is timely in meeting growers’ needs. We are very proud of our industry-leading innovation pipeline.”

Syngenta’s leadership in innovative crop protection technologies

Syngenta’s R&D pipeline is delivering some of agriculture’s most advanced and important innovations. Over the next decade, Syngenta is on track to launch at least 20 new proprietary innovations in advanced crop protection technologies and agricultural biologicals. Its portfolio of advanced crop protection technologies already includes blockbusters such as TYMIRIUM ® technology to control nematodes and fungal disease, PLINAZOLIN ® technology for insect control and ADEPIDYN ® technology for fungal disease control, valued by farmers for their strong efficacy and sustainability attributes. Syngenta is also a leader in agricultural biologicals, offering an extensive portfolio of biocontrols, biostimulants and nutrient use efficiency solutions, while expanding its offer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled digital and precision agriculture solutions.

VIRESTINA™ technology was invented leveraging Syngenta’s extensive expertise in a specific family of herbicide technologies called ACCase-inhibitors (HRAC Group 1), widely considered a foundational technology in modern agriculture. As the fourth generation of this herbicide group, VIRESTINA™ technology is engineered to effectively control weeds resistant to herbicides from other groups, as well as older ACCase herbicides.

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About Syngenta

Syngenta is a global leader in agricultural innovation with a presence in more than 90 countries. Syngenta is focused on developing technologies and farming practices that empower farmers, so they can make the transformation required to feed the world’s population while preserving our planet. Its bold scientific discoveries deliver better benefits for farmers and society on a bigger scale than ever before. Guided by its Sustainability Priorities, Syngenta is developing new technologies and solutions that support farmers to grow healthier plants in healthier soil with a higher yield. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland; Syngenta Seeds is headquartered in the United States.

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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements, which can be identified by terminology such as “expect,” “would,” “will,” “potential,” “plans,” “prospects,” “estimated,” “aiming,” “on track” and similar expressions. Such statements may be subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from these statements. For Syngenta Group, such risks and uncertainties include, amongst others, risks relating to legal proceedings, regulatory approvals, new product development, increasing competition, customer credit risk, general economic and market conditions, refinancing risk, interest rate fluctuations and access to capital markets, compliance and remediation, evolving environmental and sustainability regulations, changes in agricultural policies or subsidy regimes, intellectual property rights, implementation of organizational changes, impairment of intangible assets, consumer perceptions of genetically modified crops and organisms or crop protection chemicals, climatic variations, fluctuations in exchange rates and/or grain prices, supply chain disruptions, (geo)political risks, trade restrictions, sanctions, and export controls, natural disasters, and breaches of data security or other disruptions of information technology. Syngenta assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors.

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Rye grass lolium - untreated and treated with VIRESTINA™ techology

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)