There are many different approaches that can be taken for developing new biological products and bringing them to market. Some products can be a reformulation of existing materials that can have different results when changing the rates of the active ingredient. Vice President of Field Development and Technical Services for Marrone Bio, Timothy Johnson said one of their approaches has been taking other products into consideration and finding an opportunity to improve their efficacy.
“We try to look at the synthetic products that are typically used by growers for a specific crop/pest combination; particularly ones that are very challenging to be successful at and trying to identify the compounds or the manner in which our active ingredient can best be used,” said Johnson. “Is it early in the pest cycle, is it late in the pest cycle, or is it throughout the pest cycle? And if so, which chemistry do we work best with, and is it best used in rotation or is it best used in a tank mix situation?”
A collaborative approach to biological products can also be another avenue for innovation. Johnson highlighted the products ReyZox and AZterknot as being a co-development project between Marrone Bio and Vive Crop Protection. “It’s a way to develop a unique product with two fairly small companies and each can have their own product for very specific crop and geographical segments,” Johnson explained.
Listen to the full episode with Timothy Johnson 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.