Biologicals Are Here to Stay

Unseen by the naked eye, there are enough microbials to circle the earth 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times, according to Novozymes. These tiny organisms could hold the key to unlocking corn and soybean yields and researchers are investing more time and money into them.

“The largest market for biopesticides is conventional crops,” says Keith Jones, executive director of the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA). He estimates more than 400 companies are interested in biologicals and at least 200 have biological products.

The recently passed farm bill includes definitions for biological products to help streamline their activities.

“That was a huge victory for us,” Jones says. “Now we have common terminology, based on what they use in Europe.”

Currently, the EU represents 35% of the global biostimulant market share and 32% of the global biocontrol (biopesticide) market. The fastest growing market, however, is Latin America. BPIA is forecasting significant growth in dollars spent in global biological market—up to $8 billion total on biostimulants and biopesticides by 2020.

While promising, biologicals still pose challenges.

Barriers to entry into the biological market are a big obstacle, according to Jacob Parnell, senior scientist at Novozymes. Here are some major challenges he’s identified:

Efficacy: Microbes interact with soil, plant, bacteria, etc., and testing in a sterile environment doesn’t show what potential negative reactions the microbe might have

Versatility: There could be some ecological trade-offs such as the compound only working during specific plant growth stages, only associating with certain parts of the plan or a narrow host range

Growing Challenges: Some microbes aren’t practical to grow and might be so expensive to grow they’re not worth marketing

Stability: Microbes are living organisms that need to adapt to a wide range of conditions and adapt to a range of application techniques without dying or losing efficacy

Life Span: The organisms need be created to live long enough that they benefit the plant, through reproduction or a longer life

Despite challenges, companies, investors and farmers are taking note of biologicals and their potential in the market. Before pulling the trigger on a new biological compound on your farm, be sure to ask questions to find out what it can do, how stable it is and where testing has been completed.