Registration of mycoinsecticides in Brazil quadrupled in just 6 years

The number of mycoinsecticides registered in Brazil has more than quadrupled in just six years, says Simone Velozo, Portfolio Coordinator at the Brazilian Company of Research and Industrial Innovation (EMBRAPII).

″Between 2017 and 2018, there were about 40 records, covering three species of fungi: Metarhizium anisopliae, 63%, Beauveria bassiana, 34%, and Cordyceps fumosorosea, 3%,″ the specialist stated.

Currently, there are already 196 products already registered, and several in the development and registration stages, she pointed out.

Of these products, 39% are based on B. bassiana, 36% on M. anisopliae, 19% on B. bassiana + M. anisopliae, 4% on C. fumosorosea, 1% on Cordyceps javanica, 1% on Metarhizium rileyi and 1% of B. bassiana + C. javanica, acting mainly to control whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), pasture leafhoppers, coffee borers (Hypothenemus hampei), sugarcane boll weevil (Sphenophorus levis), banana tree weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), mites, stink bugs, etc.

″Biological control in Brazil has grown exponentially, around 30% a year, which exceeds the global average of approximately 14%. Products formulated based on fungi that control insects (mycoinsecticides) play a large part in this growth. Biologicals were seen as complementary tools. Today that has changed, and they have become an essential tool, part of the producer's daily life,″ she explained.

Velozo pointed out that in addition to growth, there was also a diversification of species and the emergence of new technologies, such as the possibility of using two species of fungi in the same product, creating a product with a broad spectrum of action.

″The way to develop biological products has changed with the advancement of research. Previously, companies focused on the amount of biomass (conidia/concentration) within the product. Today, the market already understands more about the quality of the microorganism produced and about the virulence of the strains,″ she recalled.

″Companies see the need to have products with a greater diversity of strains and species, better formulations, in addition to looking for other technologies, through studies on genes (genomics) and secondary metabolites (metabolomics), for example,″ she added.

The sector's main challenge is to resolve the lack of large-scale automated production methods to serve this entire market.

″We need products with a longer shelf life for certain species and propagules, a greater range of currently uncontrolled targets, and greater compatibility of microorganisms with existing methods and products. We must prospect for new species/strains and even innovate in producing fastidious species in an artificial medium,″ explained the portfolio coordinator at EmbrapII.

″I am optimistic that Brazil is on the way to filling all these gaps and innovating, being a great world reference in biological control,″ said Velozo in conclusion.

Velozo was also a laboratory supervisor at Iharabrás and a product development coordinator at Lallemand.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)

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