Marubeni Corporation ('Marubeni') and Chuetsu Pulp & Paper Co., Ltd ('Chuetsu Pulp') have started trial sales of a new agricultural material ('Product') that uses the ACC cellulose nanofiber*1 (hereinafter 'CNF') 'nanoforest??' manufactured by Chuetsu Pulp. The Product is a new agricultural material that is compatible with the physical control element of integrated pest and weed management (IPM) promoted in the 'Green Food System Strategy' formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan.

Agricultural Challenges and Developing the Product:

As the world's population is expected to increase, food losses due to pests and diseases must be addressed in order to ensure stable and sustainable food production. Chemical pest control, such as pesticides, has become a major problem due to the emergence of resistant bacteria and the chemicals' impact on the environment. Therefore, developing and using pest control that does not rely solely on chemical pest control is an extremely important issue.

In 2018, Marubeni and Chuetsu Pulp started joint research with Tsukuba University to ascertain that CNF has a beneficial effect in preventing diseases caused by foliar infection and to elucidate the mechanism of disease control. Marubeni and Chuetsu Pulp will continue to conduct field trials and R&D to determine how to best use this Product, aiming to contribute to the agricultural field through physical pest control using CNF.

1: ACC cellulose nanofiber:

Cellulose nanofibers made from wood fiber (pulp) that has been micronized by the aqueous counter collision (ACC) method, which uses the power of water without the addition of chemicals.

CNF exhibits amphiphilic properties; it has a hydrophilic surface that easily bonds with water as well as a hydrophobic surface that easily bonds with oil.

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