A&L: Provides Comprehensive Analytical Services and Practical Bio-based Solutions to the Agricultural Industry

Date:07-21-2023

″ In Agriculture, A&L provides comprehensive analytical services for soil, plant tissue, feed, fertilizer, and water. Specialty services include disease diagnostics, genetic analysis, and production recommendations.  A&L also offers remote sensing and precision agriculture capabilities. The company operates six world class analytical laboratories serving clients throughout Canada, the U.S. and Internationally," said Rob Field, VP Business Development and Marketing at A&L Canada Laboratories in a recent interview with AgroPages.

Rob also shared his views on A&L Biological’s product lines and their special features, today’s general challenges of the agriculture industry and countermeasures, as well as the future development plan of A&L, and more.

Rob Field
VP Business Development and Marketing at A&L Canada Laboratories

Please introduce A&L Canada Laboratories and A&L Biological respectively, global outreach and core competitiveness

A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. was formed in 1985 to serve the needs of growers for crop production insights. A&L is an innovative, research driven technology company focused on sustainable development. Through leading expertise, modern laboratory facilities and strong customer focus, A&L serves a wide range of industries including Agriculture, Environmental, Food & Pharma, and Cannabis. We make it our business to anticipate the needs of our market and customers.



A&L Biological Inc. (A&L Biological) was founded in 2008 and is a subsidiary of A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. A&L Biological is a research and discovery company focused on bringing practical bio-based solutions to the agricultural industry. We have a team of world class research scientists and technicians who are experts in the field of microbiology, plant health, and environmental science from both a field perspective and the world of molecular biology. Our efforts focus on improving crop productivity through better understanding of soil microbiome relationships, soil health, and development of biological based crop solutions. To provide customers with insight into soil health, A&L Biological developed a suite of new soil health tests. VitTellus® Soil Health and VitTellus Bio are two new tests that provide information beyond traditional soil testing.

VitTellus Bio measures the utilization of selective carbon sources to calorimetrically quantify the levels of specific functional microbial groups within a soil sample. Examples of these functional traits include nitrogen(N₂) fixation and phosphorous solubilization. The new tests provide insight into the potential of the living soil to produce higher yields and improved food quality.

A&L Biological has a pipeline of product concepts based on the beneficial functional traits of our microbial library. We have isolated 4,000 plus microbial isolates from high producing plants that serve as active ingredients for future biological products. Characterizing the functional traits of the library provides us with information that has helped develop our current products and also the products of the future. Key agronomic features of our beneficial bacteria include nitrogen fixation, abiotic stress, nutrient efficiency, and the production of fungistatic compounds including anti-biotics and phenazines.

Could you give us an overview of A&L Biological’s product lines and their special features and how they bring innovation to crops? What are your product development strategies? How does A&L Biological combine products with service?

In our commercialization efforts, we have collaborated with many companies across the globe that are working on biological solutions for agriculture. We have the tools and expertise in our laboratory to help companies develop new products and provide support for their existing products through research projects focused on product development. Several biological products on the market today were based on contract services provided by our research team.

Our research targets include biological solutions that improve yield and food quality, as well as biological crop protection. Our development process starts with growers that are looking for a solution to a production problem. Plant viruses are a concern for many of our customers and cause over 30 billion dollars in crop loss globally each year. A&L Biological began work on a solution for Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus (CGMMV) in 2017. Once a greenhouse is infected, CGMMV can cause 10 to 50 percent crop loss.

Cuc-GUARD® was launched in December 2022 as a vaccine against CGMMV in the production of greenhouse cucumbers. The mode of action of Cuc-GUARD is known as cross protection or ″pre-immunization.″ Cross protection is an acquired immunity phenomenon which has been demonstrated in a number of plant systems. The process involves an immune response from the plants when introduced to a mild strain of a harmful virus. This immune response from the weaker strain provides protection from further infection from the more virulent wild-type strain. The active ingredient in Cuc-GUARD is an attenuated (weaker) strain of the more virulent wild-type. Cuc-GUARD has been adopted as an integral part of commercial greenhouse cucumber production. Together with good sanitation protocols, growers now have a biological defense against infection from CGMMV.

A&L Biological has two registered microbial bio stimulants. AL-Bio7 is a concentration of Pseudomonas azotoformans strain 336. This strain was selected to solve the problem of ″transplant shock″ experienced when moving plugs (transplants) from the greenhouse to the farm field. P. azotoformans was selected from the library because of its ability to produce ACC deaminase which helps to mitigate the negative effects of ethylene. AL-Bio7 is supported by years of greenhouse, field, and third-party research station trials that provide proof of our products performance.

AL-Bio21 is a concentration of Azospirillum lipoferum strain 46. This microbial bio stimulant was selected for its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and to produce Indole acetic acid (IAA) which is a root promoting hormone. The primary crops for AL-Bio21 are corn, soybeans, and wheat. Third party trials from Manitoba and Ontario show an average yield increase of 10 percent. The application of AL-Bio21 will provide a sustainable solution to reducing fossil fuel-based nitrogen inputs on the farm.

Could you share today’s general challenges of the agriculture industry where A&L could offer support? What impact did these challenges have on your clients and your own company’s business?

The agricultural industry is experiencing exponential growth with our increasing population and the demand for food. There are increasing pressures from climate change, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss, and concerns about how food is being produced. Public sentiment is a driving force affecting legislation in Europe. Demands for more fruits and vegetables continue to grow as people recognize the health benefits, yet consumers perceive pesticide residues to be a critical food safety concern. Biological solutions are part of a sustainable approach to the challenges faced by the agriculture sector.

What’s the future development plan of A&L? Especially developing new markets and launching new services and products etc.

A&L Biological is continuing to develop biocontrol and bio stimulant products from our microbial library of over 4,000 isolates. Our focus is on bio fungicides for soil born diseases such as pythium and fusarium. Bio stimulant products of the future include a salt tolerant microbe to increase crop performance in saline soils. Our research initiatives are based on microbial ecology with a strong emphasis on improving soil health. Our new suite of soil health tests gives farmers an opportunity to look at their soil as a living entity and measure the impact of their agricultural practises and environmental pressures.

If you'd like to share your company's story and products/solutions. Please contact Grace Yuan via: grace@agropages.com

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