Partnership in Argentina promotes biopesticides from bacterial fermentation metabolites

The Agtrace traceability platform entered into an agreement with Corteva Agriscience to commercialize phytosanitary products made from metabolites obtained by bacterial fermentation.

According to Corteva, insecticides of natural origin have the same efficiency, less environmental impact, and more health.

The initiative arose during a researcher's trip to an island in the Caribbean where there were no mosquitoes. When analyzing the soil, the specialist discovered that the bacterium Saccharopolyspora spinosa was a natural control of the insects.

This bacterium became the basis of several insecticides of natural origin by Corteva, which developed the spinosyn molecule. According to them, these products offer excellent spectrums of pest control for extensive and intensive crops. On the other hand, they highlighted that in addition to avoiding the presence of chemical residues, its application is no longer expensive.

“Tools like these, offered by Corteva, are essential in the context of a global market where buyers demand products grown with the least possible environmental impact,” said Adrián Poletti, CEO of Agtrace.

He also stated that it is imperative for producers to know that there are helpful tools for production, with a very low environmental impact and very high sanitary level, that are not more expensive than traditional insecticides.

“It can be produced in a differentiated way, without the risk of exceeding the maximum residue limits and certifying the use of pesticides allowed worldwide, in an economically viable way, with high production efficiency, also providing efficient tools in the rotation of active ingredients and forms of action to avoid the generation of resistance, which, if it occurs, would be extremely costly for the entire production and commercial chain,” Poletti added.

The Agtrace traceability platform offers a strategy for disseminating the tools available to the producer to control insect pests without risks of an environmental impact or human health.

Francisco Tonda, Product Manager of Corteva's Insecticide Portfolio, said, “Our insecticide portfolio is different from what exists in the market. The discussion around organic products is that they tend to be more expensive and not as efficient as other products. But these have the same efficiency and do not mean greater investment, in addition to the benefit they represent in terms of lower environmental impact.”

Tonda guarantees that spinosyns give excellent results in controlling Lepidoptera. “If someone wants to grow crops with organic certification, we have the ideal tool. It not only guarantees the fight against this pest but also adds thrips control as a differential attribute and serves to rotate active ingredients,” he said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)