Ascribe Bio Phytalix Biofungicide

Ascribe Bio (Ascribe Bioscience) is an agricultural technology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Ithaca, New York. It develops natural crop protection from small molecules found in the soil microbiome, aiming to give farmers reliable and affordable options against crop disease.

Its flagship product Phytalix is a natural small-molecule biofungicide based on ascarosides, signaling molecules discovered at the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University. It primes plant defenses, can be applied as a seed treatment or foliar spray, and can be tank-mixed with other products. The company names Nutrien, Syngenta, Corteva and Loveland Products among its partners.

• Natural active ingredient: ascaroside small molecules from the soil microbiome that prime plant defenses.
• Flexible application: usable as seed treatment, foliar spray or in tank mixes.
• Low use rate: effective at milligrams of active ingredient per acre.
• Broad protection: claimed activity against fungal, bacterial and viral diseases.
• Field evidence: backed by a decade of research and more than 1,000 field trials.

Vietnamese distributors of crop inputs could evaluate Phytalix for rice, vegetable and fruit programs to cut synthetic fungicide sprays. Seed companies could assess it as a seed treatment. Export-oriented growers facing residue limits could test it in integrated disease management.

Growers can reduce synthetic fungicide applications by 50% or more while maintaining yields, according to the company. The product is described as nontoxic, biodegradable, non-GMO and bee-friendly. It works against fungal, bacterial and viral diseases and fits both seed treatment and foliar programs.

Demand is growing for biological alternatives that reduce reliance on synthetic fungicides as resistance builds and regulation tightens. Large crop-input companies are partnering with biologicals startups. Asian rice and vegetable producers, including in Southeast Asia, are a natural fit for such partnerships.

Founded in 2017 in Ithaca, New York. Closed a $12 million Series A in October 2025 co-led by Acre Venture Partners and Corteva. Phytalix received regulatory approval in Brazil in September 2026; Syngenta partnership for Asian farmers announced in June 2026.