Nature’s Blueprint, Science’s Edge: Corteva Unveils Twin Breakthroughs to Tackle the $70 Billion Insect Threat

Every year, insects devour 20% to 40% of the world’s staple crops—wheat, rice, and maize—translating into staggering losses of $70 billion. From sap-sucking aphids to leaf-chewing armyworms, these tiny adversaries not only reduce yields but also act as vectors for devastating plant diseases. In response, Corteva Agriscience has unveiled two groundbreaking crop protection innovations—one born from nature, the other inspired by it—ushering in a new era of precision pest control that balances efficacy with environmental stewardship.

The first, Goltrevo™, marks Corteva’s debut into microbial insecticides and represents a leap forward in biological pest management. Formulated with a novel strain of Beauveria bassiana (strain 203)—originally isolated from the palm weevil—this bioinsecticide delivers broad-spectrum control against both piercing-sucking and chewing pests, including whiteflies, aphids, stink bugs, root-feeding grubs, beetles, and, critically, the corn leafhopper. This tiny insect is no ordinary nuisance: it transmits the bacterium behind maize bushy stunt disease, which can slash yields by up to 70% in affected fields.

What sets Goltrevo™ apart is its dual-action biology: upon contact, the fungal spores germinate on the insect cuticle, penetrate the body, and proliferate internally—ultimately killing the pest while producing new spores to infect others. This self-amplifying mechanism enhances field persistence without chemical residues. Moreover, because it operates through a non-neurotoxic mode of action, the risk of resistance development is significantly lower than with conventional synthetics. Designed for flexibility, Goltrevo™ is compatible with diverse cropping systems—from corn and soybeans to sugarcane, pastures, fruits, and vegetables—and boasts an extended shelf life, a common hurdle for biologicals. Subject to regulatory approvals, commercial launch is expected as early as 2027 in Latin America, a region acutely vulnerable to sap-feeding pest outbreaks.

Complementing this natural solution is Varpelgo™, a next-generation synthetic active ingredient inspired by Qalcova™, a naturally occurring compound studied extensively by Corteva scientists. Through rational molecular design, researchers refined Qalcova’s structure to create a potent, selective insecticide optimized for modern agriculture. Varpelgo™ targets a wide array of chewing pests—including fall armyworm, diamondback moth, loopers, stem borers, weevils, and thrips—across soybeans, corn, rice, nuts, sugarcane, and horticultural crops.

But its innovation doesn’t stop at foliar application. Varpelgo™ also enables a novel seed treatment technology that shields germinating seeds and young seedlings from wireworms, a persistent underground threat that can wipe out entire stands before emergence. With low application rates and favorable ecotoxicological profiles, Varpelgo™ is engineered to slot seamlessly into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Insect Resistance Management (IRM) programs. By offering a new mode of action, it provides farmers with a critical rotational tool to break cycles of resistance to older chemistries like pyrethroids and neonicotinoids. Pending successful field trials and regulatory clearance, commercial availability is anticipated in the early 2030s across Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

“Innovation is at the core of Corteva’s crop protection strategy,” said Robert King, Executive Vice President of Crop Protection at Corteva. “These two solutions—one rooted in nature, the other shaped by it—expand our portfolio with sustainable, high-performance options that empower farmers to protect their harvests while advancing global food security.”

Together, Goltrevo™ and Varpelgo™ embody a strategic duality: harnessing biodiversity while leveraging cutting-edge chemistry. In a world where feeding 10 billion people demands both productivity and planetary responsibility, Corteva isn’t just fighting pests—it’s redefining how we coexist with the ecosystems that sustain us.