Interest in biologicals continues to grow internationally as a result of a multitude of factors. CEO of Biotalys, Patrice Sellès said that regulatory standards and consumer demand is helping to prompt shifts in the development of new materials. “With less innovation and more regulatory challenges, you have more space that is being made for these new approaches, these new biocontrols to develop,” Sellès explained.
On a global scale, Sellès noted that the compound annual growth rate of biologicals has been outpacing traditional chemical pesticides. As innovation continues to focus more on the biological sector, it provides an opportunity for biological materials to achieve a higher profile in agricultural production.
“Organic is one of the areas of agriculture that absolutely needs to exist. On the other side you have the traditional. But there is a space in between for what we would call sustainable,” Sellès. “Moving away from a sole dependency on the traditional approaches with chemical pesticides and being able to maintain the yields, being able to use the same amount of land, being able to fight against resistance, and provide innovation into the hands of the growers. And all these elements are helping to deliver the path for these biologicals to become more and more important as an integral part of our approach to agriculture, independently of being traditional or being organic.”
Listen to the full episode with Patrice Sellès below.
‘Making Sense of Biologicals’ is a series from AgNet West that dives into various topics with unbiased experts in the field of biologics to help the industry better understand the product category.
This episode of Making Sense of Biologicals is made possible by Marrone Bio Innovations, leading the movement to environmentally sustainable farming practices through the discovery, development and sale of innovative biological products for crop protection, crop health and crop nutrition. Marrone Bio’s portfolio of 18 products helps a wide range of growers – from row crops and fruits and vegetables to tree nuts, vines, and greenhouse production – operate more sustainably while increasing their return on investment. For educational webinars and biological IPM programs, visit MarroneBio.com.