Industry members are working to bring more biologicals to the market at a quicker pace through increasing on-farm trials. Executive Chair and Cofounder of the Invasive Species Corporation, Pam Marrone said the initiative is a global approach to the question of biologicals. Products that are in varying stages of approval will be deployed in farming operations to gather more data on their use and efficacy.
“The Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology with Dennis Donahue and I have started an initiative to get new biologicals vetted on the farm faster. That doesn’t mean that you still don’t need the trials of the researchers,” said Marrone. “We’re working through how we actually implement this basically grower-vetted biopesticide program. This is really going to help accelerate adoption because adoption is lagging because a lot of growers and practitioners just don’t even know about these products. They don’t know how to use them and don’t know how to incorporate them.”
The initiative brings together growers, commodity groups, and product developers. About 25 companies from around the globe have submitted products to be tested as part of the effort. “We’re then saying, ‘here’s the list of possible biologicals coming, or already registered, and do you want to look at those on your test plots, on your farm, and vet these faster than it would take a university researcher to do in three years, for example,’” Marrone explained.
Listen to the full episode with Pam Marrone 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.