WINNIPEG — Biological products have been touted as replacements for synthetic chemistry and fertilizer in crop production, but that may be a false promise.
According to one pitch, if farmers add biological X to the soil, they can cut nitrogen rates by 15 pounds per acre. According to another, biological Y can control a fungus that attacks canola and is just as effective as a synthetic fungicide.
Those sales pitches sound appealing, but they don’t reflect the role of biologicals in crop production, says a representative of Corteva AgriScience. Biologicals can complement other products and practices but they’re not a replacement for chemistry or fertilizer.
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“We have to measure our expectations on what these things can do, and not compare them to some of these herbicides or fungicides,” said Ryan Bonnett, Canadian commercial lead for biologicals at Corteva.
“A herbicide or fungicide, they go out and kill a pest. They kill a weed or they kill a disease. … These products (biologicals) do something a little bit different.”
In agriculture, they can be described as bacteria, microbes, plant extracts and other natural products that provide a vital function for the crop. They typically fall into three categories: biopesticides, biofertilizers and biostimulants.
The market for agricultural biologicals has exploded in recent years, as it seems like hundreds of companies are competing for acres and farmers’ attention.
Competition and the need to stand out have led to aggressive claims and promotions. Some firms say biologicals can duplicate the functions of synthetic products.
“Biologicals like nitrogen-fixing bacteria can … reduce the need for applied N fertilizer without reducing yields, a solution that can help farmers with their productivity and sustainability goals,” says the website of one firm.
Such messages are problematic, Bonnett said.
“I would say that’s not the case. I would say they complement a good fertility program. They’re not necessarily able to, from a farmer’s perspective, (permit a) 20 lb. drop of nitrogen.”
In a late June interview with the Western Producer, Bonnett said a biological product is comparable to a human health supplement. Consuming vitamins and omega 3 supplements can help a person stay healthy, but they’re different from an antibiotic that can cure strep throat.
“A lot of folks have thought of this as a conventional technology, which it’s not,” he said.
There are about 1,200 biologicals in the agricultural marketplace, Bonnett said. It’s difficult to sort out what product No. 376 can do for a crop and how it’s different from No. 831.
For a grower, a good place to start is understanding the agronomic problem and what they’re trying to solve.
“Is there a certain issue on your farm that can’t be addressed with normal, conventional technologies that we use in agriculture?”
One example is plant stress during the first weeks of the growing season. This June, temperatures dropped to 0 C or below in parts of Alberta.
Such temperatures can put the brakes on crop development and will set it back “by multiple days,” Bonnett said.
“There are (biostimulant) products you can use directly after that weather event to kickstart that crop’s growth stage,” he explained.
“We want to tell the crop, no, no, no. It was just cold for a day. Let’s kickstart your photosynthetic ability. Let’s kickstart your normal hormonal processes. … The faster you get that crop established, the faster it is using the moisture and nutrients available and not get outcompeted … by weeds, for example.”
Another example is heat stress. Some biologicals on the market, including Corteva products, help crops through the hottest days of the season.
“It’s going to reduce the amount of damage that hot weather does to your crop.”
For a biostimulant or any biological to work, the bacteria or active ingredient must be alive. Unlike a chemical, it’s a living organism.
It’s difficult to transport such products by plane, train or truck from a manufacturing plant to a farm because some bacteria are highly sensitive to temperature. For instance, one product is supposed to be stored at 4 to 8 C, said Dave Franzen, a soil fertility specialist at North Dakota State.
“These things have to be alive to work. That’s the question: what does your supply chain look like? How are you going to keep them alive?” Franzen asked.
Biologicals’ efficacy can also break down on the farm. It’s less costly and more efficient to make one pass over a field and apply two products, such as a biostimulant and a herbicide. That practice may not work for biologicals that don’t thrive in a tank mix.
Before joining Corteva, Bonnett worked for a Texas company called the Stoller Group. In 2022, Corteva acquired Stoller and its biological technology for US$1.2 billion.
Big players in crop protection may continue to acquire smaller fish in the biological business.
One reason is interest rates. It’s difficult to operate a firm that’s technology rich and cash poor when rates are above five percent.
“When you get to six percent, the world changes,” Bonnett said. “You’re burning cash and that cash is costing you a lot (of interest) to service.”
