The winners of the Bernard Blum Award for the most innovative biocontrol products were announced 22 October 2023 at Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) in Basel, Switzerland.
Innovations have always been a driving force in the biocontrol industry. Initiated in 2015, the Bernard Blum Award is presented annually to innovative biocontrol products that provide solutions for the management of pests or diseases that are also better for people and the planet.
Chosen from over 35 entries, the winners of the Bernard Blum Award for Novel Biocontrol Solutions are:
Gold goes to DCM for their product PEA-02
Silver goes to Signs for their product NoRed
Bronze goes to Koppert for their product Nezapar
The winner of the category ‘Best Innovative product assisting biocontrol uptake’:
BioBest for their product Trap-Eye
“The award winners were chosen for the high impact their innovations have on the management of pests or diseases whilst having a low impact on human health and the environment,” said Jennifer Lewis, executive director IBMA. “We need more and more innovative solutions like these to accelerate a global transition to resilient and sustainable agriculture that empowers farmers to work with nature and ensure food security for all.
A total of 37 applications were received in 2023 and each was scored independently against the following criteria: scientific foundation and merit; degree of innovation; and contribution to sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, the jury considers how novel the innovation is and its potential to make an impact on the market. ●
Gold went to DCM for their product PEA-02
DCM PEA-02® is an innovative and curative solution against 'fire blight', the bacterial plant disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora in apple and pear trees.
BioConsortia, Inc. is expanding into Brazil.
The company recently appointed Cesar Lamonega as business development lead, Latam. Lamonega’s expansive network and history in Brazilian agriculture will accelerate BioConsortia’s commercial partnering activity inthe territory.
The company also added Debora Chaves Coelho Leite to the regulatory team. She brings to BioConsortia broad regulatory experience from her previous roles at Vigna Brazil and Monsanto Brazil.
“We have accelerated our entrance into Brazil because, even as the country leads the world in use of biologicals, we believe BioConsortia’s products offer improved performance to growers because of their ease-of-use and consistent contribution to yield,” said BioConsortia CEO, Marcus Meadows-Smith. “We are eager to collaborate with local partners to create a lasting positive impact on the environment, and the economy by improving farmer profitability.”
BioConsortia has begun registration efforts for multiple seed-applied products including a fungicide targeting early season pathogens like rhizoctonia and pythium, as well as a broad-spectrum nematicide that also shows activity againstsoil insects like corn rootwormand wireworm.
BioConsortia previously announced an R&D and commercial agreement with Mosaic Company for nitrogen-fixing microbial solutions in row crops in territories including Brazil. Field testing in Brazilian corn production is already underway. ●
Scientists with the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) may have found a potential remedy for the untreatable disease that has devastated the American citrus industry since it arrived in Florida in 1998.
Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is a disease that infects citrus trees in a way that renders the fruit useless and slowly kills the tree. Since 2005, HLB has spread throughout Florida, killing countless trees and devastating orchards, reducing citrus production by 75 percent, and more than doubling production costs. The disease has now made its way west through Louisiana and Texas, and into California.
It is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a tiny sap-sucking insect that carries Candidatus liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterium that causes HLB. Psyllids transmit the disease by injecting a CLas-loaded salivary toxin into the tree as they feed. After that, there’s no hope for the tree. Until now.
Researchers at the ARS Crop Improvement and Genetics Research (CIGR) unit in Albany, CA, have discovered a way to augment the tree’s natural resistance to pathogens, including HLB. According to James Thomson, a geneticist at CIGR, by incorporating receptors that can recognize pathogens, they are able to activate a plant’s own innate immune responses.
The challenge in developing this approach was to identify the appropriate HLB-recognition genes, incorporate enough of them to be effective, and design a pathway to introduce them into trees. One way to deliver the genes is to use agrobacteria. “Agrobacteria is a microbe that originated in soil, but has been turned into a plant engineering tool,” Thomson explained. “Essentially you clone the DNA of interest [in this case, from plants that have a natural resistance to the pathogen of concern] and add it to the agrobacteria, then the agrobacteria adds that specific bit of DNA to the genome.”
Getting the “loaded” DNA into targeted trees is the next step. “This is all done in the lab through tissue culture,” he said. “A bit of the original plant is cut into little pieces and mixed, temporarily, with the agrobacteria.The plant pieces are then cleaned of agrobacteria and encouraged to regrow into a whole plant.”
Previously, all attempts to “cure” a diseased tree have failed; the only real ways to deal with HLB were to remove affected trees from orchards and to kill the ACPs that were spreading HLB. Those efforts ranged from spraying pesticides to cloaking trees in tents and steaming them to eradicate the bugs.
Now that they have a more effective solution in hand, the researchers’ plan is to transfer their knowledge and technology to tree nurseries, where growers will be able to purchase the trees they need, when they need them, Thomson said. The result would have at least a three-fold economic benefit: growers will get disease-free trees to farm, nurseries will see increased profits, and consumers will have a larger (and potentially cheaper) supply of citrus products.
“I see [this] HLB-fighting technology being deployed in the next several years,” Thomson said. ●
Leaves with symptoms of citrus greening disease.
Photo: Tim Gottwald
Invaio Sciences announced that its Citrus Health solution to suppress citrus greening in oranges received approval from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Community Services (FDACS) under section 24(c) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
Invaio’s Citrus Health solution treats citrus greening disease – also known as Huanglongbing (HLB) – spread by the Asian citrus psyllid.
Invaio’s new solution will deliver ArborBiotic through Invaio’s application technology, Trecise. Unlike conventional injection treatments, this minimally invasive system requires 90 percent less active ingredient as it delivers directly into the tree’s vascular system. Trials of the solution have shown an average yield increase of 30 percent after just one treatment as well as increased in BRIX and a reduction in fruit drop.
The Trecise system has several key advantages for growers and applicators. Its 120-day pre-harvest interval is 60 days shorter than conventional injection treatments. There’s no need for drilling, making it suitable for young trees that have had few treatment options available until now. Because it applies active ingredients directly in the conductive tissues of the tree, it needs lower rates for equivalent efficacy, reducing the risks of misapplication and residues. It also reduces risk of exposure to workers and the environment because of its closed-system design.
“With our initial focus on treating young and non-bearing trees, we hope to show that growers can get trees to bearing age with minimal disease symptoms and build confidence for replanting,” said Dave Gerrard, head of commercial US. “This is just the first step. We’re committed to delivering further solutions to help Florida citrus growers regain their pre-HLB yields.” ●
Biotechnology companies, Algalíf Iceland and ImmunRise Biocontrol France have entered into formal discussions regarding a long-term strategic partnership for the development of a large-scale microalgae industrial centre that will be the essential component for the development of new types of biocontrol solutions from microalgae for various sectors of the agriculture industry.
The strategic partnership will establish a strong base for the development of new natural biocontrol products dedicated for plant protection in the agriculture market.
Algalíf is a producer of natural Astaxanthin and is currently commissioning their new state-of-the-art microalgae plant in Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. With access to renewable geothermal energy and abundance of naturally filtered water, Algalif is in a unique position to realize the potential that large volume microalgae cultivation holds.
ImmunRise is a startup specialized in developing biocontrol products from marine microorganisms and is in the process of submittal for regulatory approval of their first biofungicide made from marine microalgae. Considering the European and the U.S. agriculture market size and objectives to integrate new natural biocontrol products, ImmunRise strives to grow a multi-million-euro business shortly after regulatory approvals are granted. ●
Research by two Rhodes University PhD graduates, Tamryn Marsberg and Michael Jukes, has led to the patent of viral-based products, MultiMax and CodlMax, as alternatives to the conventional use of chemical pesticides on citrus, apples and lychee (Litchi chinensis).
The products could assist with control of the codling moth and can be incorporated into a control program alongside other products to mitigate resistance development.A global patent for the novel biopesticides is now complete and work is underway to register and commercialize the products in various jurisdictions across the globe.
The genesis of the scientific odyssey goes back to 2013 when Tamryn Marsberg, then a PhD student in the Zoology and Entomology department, began rearing litchi moth, Cryptophlebia peltastica, for her research. This is when she discovered a novel baculovirus.
By coincidence, in July of 2014 the department’s Polish collaborators, Professor Bogusław Szewczyk and Dr Łukasz Rąbalski, were asked by the Centre for Biological Control (CBC) at Rhodes University to assist in identifying a separate novel virus that had been detected in false codling moth, T-haumatotibia leucotreta.
From 2015 to 2017, Michael Jukes from the Biochemistry and Microbiology department, together with Marsberg, Szewczyk and Rąbalski, researched these novel viruses extensively. They discovered that in fact they were a single virus, the Alphabaculovirus Cryptophlebia peltastica Nucleopolyhedrovirus (CrpeNPV). Years of inspired research work led to the realization that CrpeNPV had significant potential as an environmentally friendly biopesticide. The CBC, its research partner Citrus Research International, and industry partner, River Bioscience, moved to patent the product.
The first draft of the CrpeNPV patent was prepared and signed in 2017, and since then the team has worked patenting the virus discovery across the globe. This process included defending a challenge to the patent in Europe. In January 2022, the European patent was successfully defended without amendments.
This virus has now been registered and commercialized by River Bioscience and the first shipment of the patented CrpeNPV products, MultiMax and CodlMax, was sentto farmers for use against agricultural pests in South Africa in August 2023. ●
Dr. Michael Jukes, one of the Rhodes University researchers behind MultiMax and CodlMax, in a laboratory at the Centre for Biological Control.
The launch of the CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme in Bangladesh will build on the success of the Plantwise programme to provide knowledge and tools to help Bangladesh predict, prevent, and prepare for plant health threats and reduce crop losses.
The programme will ensure farmers not only produce more food but also improve its quality. This will be delivered through a gender-sensitive and climate-resilient approach.
PlantwisePlus, which will help smallholder farmers in Bangladesh adopt more sustainable ways to mitigate crop pests and diseases, such as the devastating fall armyworm, was launched at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC).
At the official launch, it was highlighted how digital tools such as the CABI Academy, CABI BioProtection Portal, PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank, and Crop Sprayer App, can help Bangladesh strengthen systems for the detection and response to pest outbreaks. The tools can also develop the capacity for systems for local production and distribution of low-risk plant protection products as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to mitigating crop pests and diseases.
Crop health in Bangladesh has never been more important with the agricultural sector employing nearly half of the country’s population. More than 70 percent of the land in Bangladesh is dedicated to a range of crops including rice, wheat, pulses and oilseed.
However, changing weather patterns and spreading crop diseases and pests threaten the country’s crops. CGIAR, for instance, regards Bangladesh as “one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and variability.”
CABI has been active in Bangladesh for many years. With support from CABI, the Plant Protection Wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has been working with Plantwise for thepast nine years.
So far, Plantwise has trained 8,000 sub-assistant agricultural officers (SAAOs), 900 of whom are women. CABI, combining with Farmers’ Information and Advice Centres (FIAC) and other ongoing projects of the DAE have also established over 700 plant clinics where farmers can get help to diagnose and remedy their plant health problems.
Further work under the PlantwisePlus programme has seen the rollout of the CABI Academy across Bangladesh where this resource has been helping to train the SAAOs as plant doctors.
Other initiatives that are underway to further strengthen collaboration for PlantwisePlus with public and private partners in Bangladesh include the use of the ABI Horizon Scanning and Pest Risk Analysis tools. It also includes the control of the insects/pests by biological control agents. ●
Dr. Keith Holmes, crop health advisor with CABI, speaks at the launch of PlantwisePlus in Bangladesh. (Credit: CABI)
Vestaron Corporation announced a research and development collaboration with Bioinsectis S.L., an innovator in developing novel biopesticides.
In this partnership Vestaron and Bioinsectis will work exclusively utilizing Bioinsectis’ next generation Cry-protein based technologies to develop enhanced bioavailability for insecticidal peptides. Utilizing Bioinsectis’ Cry-protein bioavailability capabilities, Vestaron expects to offer additional unique and flexible insecticide formulations to help meet growers’ crop protection needs.
Cry-proteins are insecticidal proteins isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis strains that can offer unique bioavailability solutions for Vestaron’s products. ●
To further align with the increasing demand for sustainable and environmentally-friendly products, Andermatt Canada is investing in a state-of-the-art production facility, scheduled for completion in January 2024.
This facility will focus on reducing the company’s carbon footprint and implementing lean production practices, thereby contributing to a greener future.
Andermatt Canada is a member of the Andermatt Group. The adoption of biologicals in Canada’s agricultural sector has experienced a steady increase, especially in conventional farming with the implementation of integrated pest management (IPM) and resistance management strategies. By 2021, the biopesticide market had reached one percent of the total plant protection market in Canada.
There are several key opportunities for Andermatt Canada in the biological market. The company aims to expand its Canadian portfolio by introducing domestic labels, tapping into the home and garden market, and broadening its distribution channels both within Canada and internationally. One of the recent milestones in the market development is the registration of their flagship product, Spodovir Plus, in Brazil. This achievement marks a significant milestone, opening doors for expansion into one of the world’s largest row crop-producing countries. It empowers Brazilian farmers with a valuable biological alternative for controlling fall armyworm. ●
New Andermatt Canada production facility, August 2023
IPL Biologicals Ltd. (IPL) and Uzkimyosanoat (UKS), a department of the government of Uzbekistan, have signed a joint venture agreement for the marketing, distribution and production of the agri-biological (microbial) products in Uzbekistan. These include biopesticides, biofungicides, and biofertilizers.
The joint venture will have a shareholding arrangement between IPL Biologicals and UKS holding 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively. The anticipated cost for the entire project is over $25 million.
IPL has already applied for registration of 11 bioproducts after extensive field trials, and lab tox tests and has got permission for the same. The plan is to register more than 25 products in Uzbekistan which will cover the entire range of biofertilizers, biopesticides and biofungicides products, for cotton, vegetables, and other crops of Uzbekistan. ●
Futureco Bioscience’s biological fungicide and bactericide, BestCure, has received organic certification from the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
The biological fungicide allows farmers to improve the cultivation process, as well as obtain better yields, high quality harvests and reduce the application of chemical pesticides to meet the needs of markets that demand agrochemical-free products.
Futureco Bioscience obtained OMRI certification following Bestcure's independent review of the organic standards in the biopesticide category of the National Organic Program (NOP). The approval procedure requires review of the product composition against the list of authorized ingredients and compliance with the manufacturing process standards required in organic production. With all the documentation submitted, OMRI determined that BestCure can be used in organic production in accordance with USDA National Organic Program regulations. Bestcure can now be marketedwith the legend "OMRI listed for organic use".
The OMRI listing allows organic producers, handlers and farmers to recognize Bestcure as a biological pesticide permitted under the required organic standards and its application as a fungicide/bactericide in organic production. Through OMRI certification, Futureco Bioscience will be able to access with Bestcure those food production markets restricted to organic production.
The biological fungicide BestCure is now ready to be marketed in Mexico, where it had already completed the registration stage, but was required an organic certification to access key markets for the business. ●
