Plant biologicals is the new black

Plant biologicals is a buzzword within plant protection and plant growth promotion and ”Plant Biologicals Network” has recently been established. This is a network comprising Bayer, Chr. Hansen, FMC, Novozymes, Danish Agriculture and Food Council, Technological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, that are all institutions with a focus on biological products for plant production (i.e. plant biologicals) based in or with activities in southern Scandinavia.

The network has a focus on how biological products can contribute to future solutions within the environmental, agricultural and food sectors. The network is administered by the University of Copenhagen. Head of Department and Professor Carsten Suhr Jacobsen, Department of Environmental Sciences, is the contact person for Aarhus University, while I am the contact person for AGRO.

Plant biologicals are defined as organisms or products that are extracted from organic material, and that act as growth stimulants, bio-control agents, plant resistance promoters, or bio-fertilisers in plant production.

The advantages of plant biologicals for protection against important plant diseases are that no resistance develops against the products, and that there is potentially greater flexibility in the protection because residue concentrations are considered just a small problem. In addition, they are assessed as being more easily biodegradable, thus resulting in less accumulation of the products in the environment. 

You can rightly say that this is old-wine-in-a-new-bottle. Plant biologicals have been in use for years, e.g. for biological plant protection. However, I still think we should assert ourselves in this area. There are big players in the industry and thus big money is involved. This is an area in which we can contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals. We can do this by demonstrating alternatives to chemical solutions or by demonstrating methods that can increase plant nutrient uptake.  

Important grant application sources also have a focus on this area. For example, the Horizon 2020 programme and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have had calls in ’Plant microbiome interactions’. Likewise, INRA has invited various European collaborators to discussions on the topic ”Towards Chemical Pesticide-free Agriculture”, which is one of the goals of Horizon 2020; this was described by Per Kudsk in a previous editorial this autumn (AGRO is helping to influence the plant protection research agenda).

We already have plenty of activities in the area. For example, CROP is experiencing increasing interest in carrying out trials for testing biological products for protection against traditional diseases. There are more players in the field and there is a trend towards involvement of the large agrochemical companies. We are also working with many aspects of biological protection against pests. We are investigating endophytes as biological antagonists and mycorrhiza as growth promoters, and I am working on microbiomes and how they affect plant health.

Considering how much interest there has been in this area nationally and internationally, I see good possibilities for funding of new projects. 

You can read about Plant Biologicals Network here. You are also welcome to contact me for more information.