ADAMA and BASF partner to co-develop Gilboa fungicide, delivering novel resistance-fighting solutions for European cereal growers from 2027.
ADAMA Ltd and BASF have entered into a strategic co-development and commercialization partnership focused on advancing a next-generation fungicide technology built around ADAMA’s proprietary active ingredient, Gilboa® (flumetylsulforim). This collaboration is designed to accelerate the introduction of innovative disease management solutions for European agriculture at a time when farmers are facing mounting challenges from fungicide resistance, stricter regulations, and the withdrawal of many established crop protection products.
Under the terms of the agreement, BASF will take responsibility for developing and commercializing new fungicide formulations that incorporate ADAMA’s Gilboa molecule, alongside ADAMA’s own range of Gilboa-based products. By working in parallel, both companies aim to broaden the availability and application potential of this novel active ingredient while maintaining independent decision-making over product concepts, pricing structures, sales models, and go-to-market strategies. This approach ensures commercial flexibility while maximizing the speed and scale at which the new technology can reach farmers.
The partnership brings together complementary strengths from both organizations. ADAMA contributes its deep expertise in innovation, formulation design, and product mixtures, while BASF adds its extensive development capabilities, regulatory experience, and strong market access across Europe. Together, these capabilities are expected to shorten development timelines and provide growers with faster access to advanced crop protection tools that meet both agronomic and regulatory demands.
European agriculture is currently undergoing a period of significant transition. Increasing regulatory pressure, combined with the gradual phase-out of several long-standing fungicide active ingredients, has left farmers with fewer effective options for disease control. At the same time, resistance to existing modes of action continues to spread, threatening yields and crop quality. Against this backdrop, Gilboa represents a timely and important innovation. It offers a new mode of action for cereal crops and has been classified within FRAC Group 32, which targets nucleic acid metabolism—a category recognized earlier this year by the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee. This classification highlights Gilboa’s potential role in resistance management strategies and integrated disease control programs.
Beyond its immediate application, Gilboa is positioned as a flexible and scalable platform for the development of broad-spectrum and long-lasting disease control solutions. Its versatility allows for the creation of multiple formulations tailored to different disease pressures, climatic conditions, and farming practices. For growers, this translates into more reliable crop protection, improved yield stability, and better grain quality in an increasingly unpredictable agricultural environment.
Florian Wagner, Executive Vice President of Portfolio and Innovation at ADAMA, emphasized that farmers have been vocal about their need for dependable and resilient disease control solutions. He noted that Gilboa provides cereal growers in Europe with a powerful new option to safeguard their crops more effectively. Wagner added that BASF was selected as a partner because of its shared commitment to innovation, quality, and sustainability—values that are essential to delivering meaningful progress in modern agriculture.
Echoing this sentiment, Marko Grozdanovic, Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions, highlighted the long-standing collaboration between the two companies. Over the past decade, BASF and ADAMA have successfully partnered on several initiatives. This new agreement, he explained, builds on that foundation by combining BASF’s broad fungicide portfolio and market expertise with ADAMA’s innovative active ingredient and product know-how. The result is a collaboration that leverages the best of both organizations to bring cutting-edge solutions to farmers more quickly.
Subject to regulatory approvals, the companies plan to introduce Gilboa-based formulations for wheat in Great Britain in 2027, with wider launches across Europe expected from 2029 onward.
