Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. announced the approval by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA- Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária) of three new bioinsecticidal/bionematicidal solutions derived from inactivated cells of the company’s proprietary Burkholderia platform, the first endorsement of biological products formulated from fully inactivated microorganisms.

Bioceres products based on Burkholderia-derived metabolites were first registered in the United States in 2014 and have since been commercialized in Mexico, Peru, Chile, Turkey, and parts of Africa. The company states that in the United States alone, they are used as nematicidal and insecticidal seed treatment on more than four million hectares (>10 million acres) of corn, cotton and soybeans, replacing abamectin in seed treatments, while also boosting the control of soil-dwelling insect pests.

The approval enables the commercialization of Burkholderia-derived products in the country and opens the door for future related product launches. Bioceres’ biocontrol solutions are commercialized in Brazil under the Rizobacter brand, as well as other brands used by third party licensees.

“This approval is a much-awaited milestone for our near-term growth plans in Brazil and, because of the global relevance of this market, for our company in general,” said Federico Trucco, CEO of Bioceres Crop Solutions. “Our 2022 acquisition of Marrone Bio Innovations – now ProFarm – was predicated mostly on two of its platforms: lignosulfonate-based biostimulants and inactivated-microbes (metabolites) for biocontrol purposes. On biostimulants, we have grown 10-fold in Brazil since our acquisition. On the biocontrol opportunity, we were on hold until today. This initial approval will allow us to move forward with in-furrow and foliar applications in a first stage, and with seed treatment solutions in a second stage.”