Our June/July 2024 issue had a focus on regulation for biological products, an exclusive from the newest fertilizer plant in Europe, the latest trends in fertigation, plus a look at RNA in agriculture products. Free access here.

BIOSTIMULANTS

Plant biostimulants and the FPR
It is now two years since the Fertilising Products Regulation (2009/1009 – FPR) was applied across 27 EU member states in July 2022. Elodie Lebastard, Senior Consultant, Prospero & Partners, presents a realistic look at what still needs to be done.

Is there finally a solution to the U.S. plant biostimulants conundrum in the offing?
To those who have long laboured to attempt to find a way out of the labyrinth that is the U.S. regulatory scheme applicable to plant biostimulants, it appears that the first actual meaningful light in this tunnel may in fact have appeared. Keith Matthews writes.

“Removing certain biostimulants from the FIFRA definition of pesticides would be a significant improvement in the current regulatory posture of these substances.“

PLANT PROTECTION

Unleashing the power of protein-based biocontrol products
A new frontier in pest management is emerging, harnessing the power of nature’s own defense mechanisms: antibody-based biocontrol products. These products harness the power of proteins to disrupt the lifecycle, reproduction or metabolic processes of specific pests or pathogens. Janet Kanters writes.

GreenLight Biosciences pioneers RNA technology in agriculture
In a groundbreaking stride towards revolutionizing agricultural practices, GreenLight Biosciences, a biotechnology company founded in 2008, has emerged as a trailblazer in RNA research. Janet Kanters reports.

GreenLight Bio’s journey wasn’t solely about making RNA. “Our initial mission was to find a better way to make naturally occurring molecules more efficiently,” Singleton explains. “The challenge lay in providing a reliable and cost-efficient energy source for the biological systems involved.”

Renaissance BioScience innovates pest control with yeast-based RNA technology
Renaissance BioScience Corp., a pioneering force in agricultural innovation, is making strides with its groundbreaking yeast-based RNA platform technology aimed at revolutionizing pest control. Janet Kanters reports.

Biological uptake in South Africa raring to go
The biologicals industry in South Africa is currently undergoing a meteoric rise as farmers seek more sustainable solutions to food production. Two factors, common to many new industries, are however putting the brakes on greater expansion: regulations and know-how. Lindi Botha writes.

Did you know? Biological products in South Africa are regulated under the Fertiliser, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act (Act 36 of 1947) – the same Act which governs conventional agricultural products. This means biologicals need to undergo the same testing procedure as synthetic chemicals before they can be registered for use in South Africa.

LEADER PROFILE

Novonesis: Worldwide biosolutions for agriculture
In late January 2024, the combination of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen was successfully completed, creating Novonesis – a global biosolutions company with a broad biological toolbox and a diversified portfolio. The combined group operates a global network of R&D and application centers as well as manufacturing sites. New AG International connected with Tina Sejersgård Fanø, Executive Vice President of Planetary Health Biosolutions at Novonesis to learn more.

PRODUCTS AND TRENDS
Canadian researchers develop ‘bioplastic’ pellet as a fertilizer
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada have developed a plastic-like material that can absorb excess nutrients from water and be used as a fertilizer when it decomposes. Janet Kanters reports.

The bioplastic material is a biocomposite pellet that contains a marine polysaccharide (chitosan), eggshells and wheat straw. The pellet is its own “closed loop” material that absorbs phosphate from water sources and is then used as a fertilizer source for agricultural applications.

North Star
New production capacity in Europe offers a guiding light to increasing the resilience in the continent’s fertilizer supply. Using byproducts from other industries and a low carbon footprint, Cinis Fertilizer is producing potassium sulphate (SOP) at its brand-new factory. New AG International travelled to northern Sweden and attended the inauguration ceremony. Luke Hutson writes.

IRRIGATION

Fertigation: Innovating agriculture’s hidden gem
In the vast expanse of modern agriculture, where every innovation holds the promise of greater efficiency and yield, fertigation emerges as both a beacon of hope and a realm of challenges. NAI editor Janet Kanters spoke with Jackson Stansell, founder and CEO of Sentinel Fertigation, on the evolving landscape of fertigation.

Jackson Stansell, founder and CEO of Sentinel Fertigation: “Fertigation is such a niche market that very few people pay attention to it. Some of the biggest work being done in fertigation right now can be divided into two areas: broadacre and specialty crop fertigation.”

Smart Irrigation Month celebrates the people behind efficient irrigation
By Nathan Bowen, IA Advocacy and Public Affairs Vice President.

Dig Deeper: Subsoiling impacts irrigation efficiency more than conventional conservation
From a thousand-foot view the recommended formula for increased on-farm soil health sounds surprisingly simple: cover crops plus reduced tillage equals more soil organic matter and greater water infiltration. For farmers in the Mississippi Delta hoping to preserve a unique legacy of highly productive soils and vast water resources, conscious conservation can be a bit more complex. Raney Rapp writes.

Did you know? Subsoiling – ripping up deep compaction under a field’s surface – was once a common practice at regular intervals throughout the Mississippi Delta. Today, as producers pursue conservation tillage and prepare fields with fewer field passes and fewer implements, the practice has fallen to the wayside.

Jason Krutz, director of the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute: “Subsurface tillage does a lot more for infiltration rates than I think anyone ever actually realized. I think that that would be a simple technique to improve infiltration rates.”

REGIONAL REPORT

Blazing a bio trail
Brazil has been hailed as a market leader in the adoption of products, especially when it comes to using microbes for abiotic stress and biocontrol on row crops. The history of Brazil using nitrogen-fixation products, known as inoculants, in agriculture dates to the 1960s. Regulation and standards were not far behind. So how has this early regulatory scene helped to set the foundation for the biologicals market we see today in Brazil and what’s coming next? New AG International writes

AGRONOMICS AND ECONOMICS

Brazilian technology uses biological fertilization to restructure soils
A Brazilian company in the bio-inputs sector has been standing out with its “Microgeo” biological fertilization technology. It is a balanced component that nourishes, regulates and maintains the continuous production of biological fertilizer through a process called continuous liquid composting (CLC). Leonardo Gottems writes.

Salinity impacts on crop production
Soil salinity continues to be a challenge in global agriculture, and creative solutions need to be used to keep fields productive in environments that promote excess salt balance in soils (e.g., arid, and semi-arid farming regions). Lyle Cowell, Senior Agronomist, Nutrien and Karl Wyant, Director of Agronomy, Nutrien, outline some strategies to employ to reclaim and/or maintain saline soils.

Did you know? Salt composition will vary depending on regional subsurface geology and agricultural practices. In some regions (western U.S.), salinity is caused by sodium, chloride and boron, primarily coming from irrigation and water sources. In other areas (Western Canada), the salts that cause salinity are mainly magnesium sulphate and sodium sulphate that originate naturally in geological deposits.

PEOPLE

Flagship appoints Amy O’Shea as CEO-Partner and CEO of Invaio Sciences

Chris Turner joins Pivot Bio as chief commercial officer

Prospero & Partners name new senior consultant

FMC Corporation appoints executive leaders North America, Latin America

Franz Prieschl joins Agri Sciences Biologicals

Staphyt appoints director of operations for Europe

Phospholutions appoints James Ortíz as chief commercial officer

CropLife America announces new vice president of government relations

Manish Sirohi appointed CEO of DECCO WW

Elicit Plant appoints Slavica Djonovic as chief scientific officer

Custom Agronomics appoints new CEO