by Aaron Hackle
February 9, 2017
One of the most rapidly growing areas in agricultural pesticide R&D and commercialization efforts is biopesticides -- i.e., pesticides derived from such bio-based resources as animals, plants, bacteria, and certain minerals. Although biopesticide sales represent just a fraction of the larger agricultural pesticide market, human health and environmental protection concerns have led to stepped up demand for safer, cleaner alternative products to conventional pesticides. In addition, the increasing popularity of organic farming -- an industry where biopesticides are used more than conventional pesticides -- will continue to boost demand for biopesticides.
Historically speaking, the biopesticides market has been dominated by the use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)--a bacterium that produces crystalline proteins and spores with insecticidal properties. Farmers have been applying Bt-based biopesticides to corn, soybeans, and other field crops since the 1920s. According to Emily Park, analyst with The Freedonia Group, while Bt-based products will continue to post gains in the biopesticides market, the majority of growth in the biopesticide market will be driven by non-Bt products derived from other bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other natural sources. Market penetration of new products and associated R&D activities will support these gains. Moreover, new biopesticide active ingredient registrations presently outnumber new conventional active ingredient registrations.
In contrast to conventional pesticides, where the development of entirely new product classes is rare, innovation in biopesticides has been moving apace, with an increasingly diverse array of products available to crop growers. Via recombinant DNA techniques, researchers have created microorganisms that target specific pests without damaging crops or causing harmful environmental side effects. A number of bacteria, viruses, and nematodes have been developed to combat specific pests. Other areas of biopesticide development include pheromones and other semiochemicals used to disrupt the normal behavior of insects (for example, by preventing certain insects from mating in order to forestall a second generation of infestation), fungi used to kill other fungi that are harmful to plants, and various natural oils used as insect repellants.
Biopesticide developers and producers such as Certis USA, Marrone Bio Innovations, BioWorks, and Andermatt Biocontrol have been active in the development and registration of new biopesticides. Biopesticides launched in the last few years include the following products:
For more information on the outlook of both biopesticides and conventional pesticides used in the US agricultural sector, see The Freedonia Group’s study Agricultural Pesticide Market in the US by Type and Crop. This comprehensive report provides historical demand data and forecasts by product (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fumigants, defoliants and desiccants, rodenticides, nematicides) and crop (corn, soybeans, vegetables and melons, fruit and nuts, cotton). The study also evaluates company market share and provides competitive analysis on industry competitors.
Aaron Hackle is a Corporate Analyst at The Freedonia Group, where he works on studies related to the US and Global chemicals, industrial components, and oil and gas markets.
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