CULTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY Organic crop protection chemicals are gaining ground throughout the world Organic crop protection products or biologicals are showing a fast growth throughout the world. In 2011, the turnover was already 1.3 billion dollars, and this is expected to have risen to 3.2 billion by 2017. The development is the fastest in North America with as much as 40 percent of the worldwide turnover. Europe is following rapidly. ill Stoneman is the director of the BioPesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA), an American organisation that wants to stimulate biologicals and increase the knowledge about these organic crop protection products in the world. ‘This is important because biologicals have an enormous advantage in an integrated pest control method (IPM) in our society, where sustainability is becoming increasingly important’, he emphasises during the PotatoExpo show in San Antonio, Texas. During this annual event, potato growers and traders from North America come together to meet and get information about the latest trade developments. One of those developments is the use of biologicals in the cultivation and storage of potatoes. Several of these products have already been registered in America and the interest in Europe is also growing. A number of these new products are waiting to be registered in the coming years. B Wish to use fewer chemicals Stoneman feels the express wish of society to use fewer chemicals in agriculture. ‘Biologicals may contribute to that wish, because they have a natural origin. The enormous advantage of biologicals is that they help lower the residue levels in the harvested crops. Moreover, natural substances fit in with an integrated pest and disease control system. Its usage helps with the resistance management of the chemicals. We often see that the yields and the quality of the crops improve compared to control systems that only use chemicals. Another advantage is that these natural products can also be used in organic cropping’, Stoneman explains. The BPIA director divides organic crop protection products into three groups. Firstly, there are products that are based on microbials, or fungi and bacteria. Secondly, there are the biorationals. These are products that are based on plant extracts, oils or pheromones. And finally, there are the macrobials, which include all useful insects and nematodes. Huge investment What attracts Stoneman’s attention is that the chemical multinationals are investing hugely in biological crop protection products. Practically all big companies are taking over specialised biological businesses to be able to develop quickly in this ‘The enormous advantage of biologicals is that they help lower the residue levels in the harvested crops’, Bill Stoneman emphasises. new market. One of these companies is Bayer. Already in 2012, this chemical giant took over the American company Agraquest for 340 million euros. This is a company that specialises in the production of bacteria and fermentation products. Last year, they also bought Prophyta, a company that Potato World 2014 • number 3 5 Pagina 4
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