Bayer Acquires Pest Control Firm Prophyta

Bayer CropScience has agreed to acquire Prophyta, which has developed microbial products to protect fruits and vegetables from nematodes and Sclerotinia fungal diseases. The company has also designed a specialized solid-state fermenter for growing large quantities of fungal biomass. In addition to the technology, Bayer will obtain the company’s headquarters in Malchow on the island of Poel in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, along with the company’s research and production facilities in Wismar, Germany. The acquisition will add to Bayer’s growing portfolio of biological pest control products, a market it expects to reach $4 billion globally by 2020. In 2012, the firm purchased AgraQuest for $500 million.