October 2024
This article is the third in a series providing case studies of biocontrol products that are on the market or under development in Europe.
Biocontrol uses substances, technologies or mechanisms derived from nature to control insect pests, diseases and weeds in agriculture and forestry. Biocontrol products generally fall into the following categories, depending on the “active ingredient” of each:
A new bio-insecticide has been developed for use on tree nuts, fruits, vegetables and high-value specialty crops, offering an innovative solution to control lepidopteran pests like caterpillars, loopers and worms. This product uses peptides derived from nature with insecticidal properties, combining the safety and environmental benefits of biocontrol with the effectiveness of a conventional pesticide. With proven efficacy of 85-100 percent on more than 280,000 hectares, it can be a direct replacement for conventional pesticides for the same pests.
The bio-insecticide targets lepidopteran larvae while remaining safe for pollinators and beneficial insects. It also offers an excellent safety and environmental profile with a low risk of phytotoxicity, zero-day pre-harvest interval, four-hour re-entry interval and an exemption from maximum residue limits in the United States and Canada due to no residues. With a novel mode of action, the biocontrol product also serves as an excellent pest resistance management tool within IPM systems. These advantages give flexibility to agricultural operations.
The devastating tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta, an invasive pinworm, is controlled by the peptide-based product – a welcome solution due to pest resistance to the pesticides previously used to fight it. In Greece, for example, a tomato grower reported that a very heavy infestation in his field was reduced by 40-50 percent with two applications of the bio-insecticide in 10 days. While EU authorisation of the product is pending, emergency use has been approved for T. absoluta in Greece, Cyprus and Italy as well as potentially in Spain and Portugal.
This biocontrol product is part of a portfolio of peptide-based products that introduce new modes of action to combat several groups of insect pests on high-value crops. They contain peptides derived from venom of spiders and other animals that have been modified to create highly effective and targeted bio-insecticides.
With no known resistance or cross-resistance, the peptide-based products can be used alone or in rotation with conventional insecticides for improved resistance management. They are highly specific to target pests, ensuring safety for farm workers, pollinators and other beneficial organisms. Moreover, they rapidly biodegrade, breaking down into naturally- occurring amino acids that serve as nutrients for soil microorganisms.
This case study was provided by Vestaron , a member of the Biocontrol Coalition.