CropWorld 2010: OSR and potato biopesticides could be available within five years

Date:11-04-2010

Biopesticides for use in oilseed rape and potatoes to help control diseases and promote crop growth could be on the market within five years, according to AgraQuests Ashish Malik, senior vice-president of global marketing.

The firm is currently developing pesticides based on various microbes, particularly bacillus species, with partner firms in Europe for use in broad-acre crops. Currently most sales of its products, such as Serenade through BASF, are for use in speciality crops.

The concept of using biopesticides in broadacre crops had first been tested in North America, he told Farmers Weekly at CropWorld. A soil fungicide, Serenade Soil, for use in potato crops had taken a 10% market share of the soil fungicide market in the USA, while the firm hoped for a similar market share from a foliar version of Serenade due for launch to control sclerotinia in canola (oilseed rape) in Canada.
 
"In two years of trials we have shown a single spray of Serenade can be as efficacious as a single spray of synthetic pesticides."

Both of those products, along with a third product using a different bacillus species that had shown promising results against potato blight, were being developed for the European market, Thierry Merckling, AgraQuests managing director for Europe, said.

"We believe there is a high chance of transferring the concept to Europe."

The products could either be used to replace synthetic pesticides, or used in mixtures and in programmes with pesticides, he believed. "The details need to be fine-tuned, but there are opportunities to use these products to diminish the load of pesticides."

That would be increasingly important as European pesticide legislation and National Action Plans attempted to cut pesticide use, Mr Malik pointed out.
 
How do biopesticides work?

Serenade contained a microbe, Bacillus subtilis, which produced metabolites as it grew that disrupted the cell membranes of fungal pathogens, but not of crops, explained Mr Malik.

"That causes the cells content to leak out and the fungi to die."

As well as controlling sclerotinia in oilseed rape, the soil version of Serenade, applied by drenching the seed piece, also produces other metabolites that accelerate the growth of the plant.

"So as well as direct fighting against diseases such as rhizoctonia, it also increases plant growth and leads to higher yields, even in the absence of disease."