Biopesticides are mainly composed of two completely different species, including microbial-based and biochemical-based. Microbial products are derived from bacteria, mold, or viruses. Biochemicals contain plant extracts or metabolites of microorganisms. Today's global biopesticide market share is estimated at $4 billion, an annual growth rate of 15%. Biological insecticides account for 50% of the market share, biomicides account for about 40%, and the remaining biological nematicides and biological herbicides account for a smaller proportion, accounting for about 10%. In particular, it is worth mentioning that biological pesticides, especially those used for seed treatment, are the fastest growing segments of the biopesticide market, and microorganisms account for the majority of them, accounting for almost 60% of the biopesticide market in the field of seed treatment. North America and Europe are the largest markets for biopesticides, accounting for about 65% of the market share. Latin America is the fastest growing region for biopesticides. 1
Bio-pesticides
In 1962, Thuringiensis was first introduced for pest control, and to this day it remains the most common microbial product for the control of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. Polybactericides, ethyl polyfectins, avermectin and avermectin are the main insecticidal products on the market and are classified as biopesticides in some other sources2 due to their natural origin and fermentation production process. White zombie bacteria, which occur naturally in soils around the world, can parasitize a variety of pests such as taenoptera, whitefly, aphids, caterpillars, weevils, grasshoppers, ants, Colorado potato beetles and mealybugs to achieve pest control. At present, this bacterial pesticide is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Another species, also of soil origin, is the beetle-green zombie that can parasitize sugarcane borers or locusts, and is also emerging in Brazil. 2
Some plant pesticides or plant extracts are mainly used to control the following pests, including taenoptera, whitefly, aphids, mites and nematodes. The most well-known plant pesticides are pyrethroid insecticides and Neem oil (the active ingredient is neem), as well as extracts from thyme, peppermint, or garlic. Neem oil is extracted from the Indian neem tree, a species of tree derived from South Asia. Such products currently on the market are usually derived from aqueous or alcohol extractions from their seeds, or based on cold-pressed Neem oil. Neem oil and its related products have been shown to be effective in controlling more than 200 species of insects, including whitefly, thrips, leafminer moths, caterpillars, aphids, mesquitera, beetles, bugs and whiteflies. Natural pyrethroids are extracted from chrysanthemums and are the most common plant-derived insecticide available and are widely used to control a variety of insects and mites. Synthetic pyrethroids are also widely used in the crop protection market. 2
Baculoviruses are commonly used to infect arthropod insects, lepidoptera, hymenoptera, and diptera insects for the purpose of controlling these pests. At the same time, new pest control technologies based on RNAAi are also maturing and are still in the research stage. Pheromones are another insect control technique commonly used in forestry, orchards and greenhouses. 2
In the 1916 scientific journal Macroorganisms, the red-eyed wasp was first used to control the apple beetle moth. The red-eyed wasp is a small wasp (1 mm) that can parasitize moth eggs and effectively control more than 200 species of moth, butterfly and corn borer pests.
Figure 1: Main biopesticide types. Source: Agrow World Crop Protection News, Informa, 2013 and other sources. The chart above contains only the most common products on the market.
Biobicide
Bacillus-based microbial products are the most common type of biopesticide. Several large global companies such as Bayer Bio, Certis, Novozymes, and Nippon, as well as many others, have their own bacillus-based biopesticide products on the market. The main reason why bacillus-type biopesticide products are so popular in the market is that the species is widely present in the soil layer and is a common endophytic bacterium in crops such as cotton, corn and grapes. Bacillus is relatively easy to isolate and extract, and the spores have good heat and drought resistance, compared to other strains, Bacillus is easier to mass-produce and formulate. Bacillus can also stimulate plants to produce more auxin, gibberellin, and cytokinin, which can further improve the plant's systemic immunity. Bacillus can be used to fight a variety of crop diseases, such as Bacillus breve can be used to treat powdery mildew, downy mildew, leaf rust, smut and sclerotia. Bacillus subtilis can be used in seed treatment and foliar spraying to control a variety of diseases caused by gray mold, mold rot and plant pathogens. 2 Another group of common biobicides is based on Pseudomonas aphid, which is the main active ingredient in a new biocide (Howler) currently on the U.S. market. 3
Since 1930 , research on Trichoderma Harz has been influx , but in recent years It has only become widely used to control soil diseases such as Fusarium , Rot and Standing Blight in maize , soybeans , potatoes , tomatoes and cotton. It is worth mentioning that similar to bacilli, trichoderma has a bactericidal effect in addition to the bactericidal effect, such microorganisms also have a biological stimulation effect, which can enhance the natural non-specific resistance of plants. Another commonly used biocide is Shields, a fungal parasite of sclerotia soy isolated from the sclerotia of albiobacteria and found in many parts of the globe. Shieldshell mold has recently been developed into a commercial product for the control of white mold on a variety of crops. 2
Most of the products based on plant extracts are used for pest control, and only a small part is used as disease control, the most well-known of which is the extract of the rare family polyphony, polygonum doughnutum, Milesana. The substance is an active ingredient in Regalia, a biocide on the US market, which can effectively control bacterial diseases such as powdery mildew and anthrax. 4 The β-lupine globulin polypeptide extracted from white lupine is at the heart of THE BAD polypeptide technology. This technique can achieve pest control by destroying the cell wall within 4-8 hours of drug spraying. 5
Antibiotics and signaling molecules
Some antibiotics have also been used in the pesticide market for many years, although they are biologics products, and the market acceptance of such products has been declining, due to the existence of interactive resistance between such products and human antibiotics, so the pressure on the market to remove such products is also increasing. The most commonly used types of antibiotics in agriculture include chlorphenomycin, streptomycin, oxytetracycline, and polyoxymycin. 2
Another group of products are signaling molecules that stimulate plants to develop non-specific resistance. Pear fire blight is a bacterium that can cause fire blight in pears, apples and other rosaceae plants, and the hypersensitive proteins produced in the plant immune response caused by the stimulation of this bacterium are a common signaling molecule. Plant hypersensitivity proteins are already commercially used in the United States and Brazil, with the main target crops being soybeans and sugar cane. 6 Some studies of other types of signaling molecules, such as allicin, naringin, pineene, kelp polysaccharides, carrageenan, chitin, and chitinamine, are also being carried out in an orderly manner, some of which are already in the process of commercial development. 7
Figure 2: Common biobicide species. Source: Agrow World Crop Protection News, Informa, 2013 and other sources. The table above contains only the common product categories on the market.
As the market's enthusiasm for biopesticides grows, almost all large chemical companies have made large-scale technical and capital investments in this field, and the acquisition of small technology companies by large companies is one of the main trends in this field. The well-known Thuringiensis products on the market have existed for many years, mainly from two subsidiaries of Japanese multinational companies, Sumitomo's Valent Bioscience, and Mitsuui's Certis. German company Bayer acquired AgraQuest and established an independent biopesticide division to support the development of new products and new projects that combine new biopesticides and conventional chemical pesticides. BASF also acquired Becker Underwood and focused the company on bio-seed processing. As a global leader in agrochemicals, Syngenta has also entered into strategic partnerships with a number of companies specializing in biopesticides, including Novozymes, Agrinos, Isagro and Marrone Bio, and has acquired Bioline's large organisms and related product lines of Pasteurella for insect pest control of nematodes. Some of the well-known and fast-growing startups are AgBiome and Indigo Ag. 8 The strong interest of large traditional chemical companies in the field of biopesticides, coupled with the rapid development of some start-ups, indicates that new biopesticides will develop rapidly and that they will occupy an important position in the future crop protection market. All of the above market trends will further enrich the existing pesticide types, reduce crop resistance caused by excessive use of traditional pesticides, and improve the safety of the ecological environment and consumers.
cite:
1.Biological Products Market Overview: Past, Present, and Future, Meeting of National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants January 18, 2019, data from Duhnam Trimmer International Bio Intelligence
2Agrow World Crop Protection News, Informa, 2013
3 Howler EPA label, AgBiome web site
4Regalia information, Marrone Bio Innovation web site
5 ProBlad Verde Introduced as control for fungal diseases, Vegetables Growers News, August 2019
6Plant Health Care web sire
7 Natural Compounds as Elicitors of Plant Resistance Against Diseases and New Biocontrol Strategies, Agronomy, Agnieszka Jamiołkowska Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, University of Life Sciences in Lublin
8AgroPages daily reports