Mark Trimmer, president and founding partner of DunhamTrimmer, has more than 35 years of experience in research, product development, registration, technical service and technology licensing in the crop protection industry. DunhamTrimmer is a market research company focused exclusively on the global biocontrol, biostimulant, biofertilizer and crop nutrition markets. We asked Trimmer for an update of the state of the biologicals industry.
Q: What is the state of the biologicals industry in the United States and abroad?
Trimmer: The biologicals industry as a whole continues to expand, with growth in all sectors. However, we’re seeing slowing biocontrol market growth in North America and Europe, while the growth is much faster in Latin America and Asia.
With biostimulants and biofertilizers, we’ve seen faster adoption into row crops in the Northern Hemisphere than we have with biocontrols. And we’re seeing a lot of use of biostimulants in combination with fertilizers in value-added fertilizer solutions to enhance nutrient-use efficiency.
We are beginning to see the first indications of biocontrol growth in U.S. row crops. A number of new bionematicides have been approved for use in corn and soybeans in the last year. There has also been a new biological-based corn rootworm insecticide approved. Use of biocontrol solutions in the row crop sector will be important for future growth.
Q: How has the adoption of these products and technologies been for specialty crop growers in the Southeast?
Trimmer: In Southeast specialty crops, biostimulants and crop nutrition have been most successful. Use of value-added fertilizers or biostimulants at seeding or at transplanting is fairly common to aid in early vigor and to reduce transplant shock.
Biocontrol is used in the Southeast, but not to the extent that it is in the West. Disease pressure in the Southeast is challenging even with chemical products, and biocontrol products are not quite as effective as chemicals in many cases. But they are used in rotation for disease control to help prevent pest resistance development, and they are quite successful as insecticides.
Q: Are these products moving through the regulatory system more quickly because of their environmental footprint?
Trimmer: Biostimulants or value-added fertilizer products are regulated at the state level. There is not a huge regulatory hurdle to placing them on the market. Therefore, we see a lot more new products emerging in a rapid time frame.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates biocontrol products. It takes time to get through that process. Right now, things are actually slowing at EPA because of the need to comply with Endangered Species Act requirements. That has been big news on the chemical side, but it’s having an adverse impact on registration timelines for biological products as well.
Q: How can growers maximize the benefits of biological products?
Trimmer: The key is that by integrating biologicals into their overall system, they will get better performance from all the inputs they are using. Biologicals can enhance nutrient-use efficiency. Incorporating biocontrol along with chemical control can result in a better overall solution and help prevent pest resistance development. It also allows growers to better meet consumer demands for reduced pesticide residues.
Putting traditional crop inputs together with biologicals is the key. It’s not a replacement. It’s an addition the grower can make and get a better return on their overall investment.
Q: Where would you predict the industry to be in the next five to 10 years?
Trimmer: Today, growers rarely differentiate between a chemical or biological product. They’re just seeking a product that works and solves a production problem. If biologicals can be economical and efficacious and fit within growers’ management practices, biologicals will become a bigger part of the solution.
I think we will see biologicals continue to grow over the next five to 10 years and move from what many would say was a “nice to have” product to more of a standard practice within a wide number of crops in different segments of agriculture.
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