Botanical Solution Inc., the producer of Botristop, a biofungicide derived from plant extract, is set to continue its partnership with Syngenta and commercialize the product in the Peruvian and Mexican markets. Luke Hutson, Editor in Chief with New AG International, spoke with co-founder and CEO Gaston Salinas about this development and the company’s expansion plans.
With its production facility in Santiago, Chile, Botanical Solution Inc. (BSI) is set to continue its partnership with Syngenta and commercialize its product Botristop in the Peruvian and Mexican markets.
The name Botristop refers to the product’s primary application – to date at least – against the fungal disease Botrytis cinerea. The product, which is supplied in liquid formulation, is based on botanical extract from a plant that is native to Chile, Quillaja saponaria Molina. Botristop has been on the market in Chile since 2019 through a partnership between BSI and Syngenta.
First shipment to Peru Having received registration approval, the first quantities are currently being shipped to Peru. “We’re expecting to launch sometime this year, working closely with the Syngenta team. This is an exciting year for us, with the first shipment being made,” says Salinas. The product is being shipped in a variety of retail-ready packaging sizes (1 litre, 4 litres and 20 litres) from the Chilean port of Valparaíso. Salinas says Botristop is the first biological product for Syngenta in Peru. Progress continues with the registration for Mexico, with all the efficacy data generated, along with the crop list, including cucumber, grapes, berries, tomatoes and melon. The company is aiming for launch in Mexico by late 2022.
For the U.S., two registration processes are running concurrently. One for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and another for California (DPR). Partner benefits Salinas speaks in positive terms about the relationship with Syngenta. “One of the key success factors for start-ups with a new technology is to have the best market access possible,” he explains. “We know we are good on the product side, but we need a sales force, and to be part of a portfolio. Growers are not waiting for a super product, but a specific solution for certain conditions.” While Botristop is often applied by exporting producers near to harvest, Salinas says that BSI is now able to provide growers with data to show the benefits of using Botristop earlier in the season. What does this mean for distribution? Salinas explained the company used to be focused on supplying demand for the first and fourth quarter of the year. “Now we’re covering the whole year. There are positive consequences to being detached from growing cycles, although that also comes with some challenges. We’re planning to double capacity in Santiago if everything goes to plan. We can’t wait to get to that period,” says Salinas, who co-founded BSI with fellow Chilean Gustavo Zuñiga, who led the research work on extracting the botanical compounds from the tissue cultured Quillaja saponaria plants. The company’s laboratory and production site covers 500 sq. metres, and can expand into four times that space in its current location. BSI grows the Quillaja saponaria plant indoors, under laboratory conditions. The company is conducting in-field trials of its product in global regions, such as Asia, Europe and Oceania in 2021 and 2022. Salinas says there is also more room to grow the product in LATAM, highlighting the ornamentals market in Ecuador and Colombia. Name change Although Salinas could not share details during the conversation, he indicated the name Botristop might be replaced to represent a product that covered more diseases. “We have a great new name where the focus is not just on botrytis but other fungal diseases,” revealed Salinas. BSI expects to reveal the new branding by the third quarter of this year.
Post-harvest BSI has previously focused on pre-harvest but is now looking to the other side. “We’re quietly entering the post-harvest market,” says Salinas, adding they are in discussions with possible collaborators who are looking at the company’s product. To be used in post-harvest, Salinas explained this could simply be done by using specific doses of Botristop. He describes the post-harvest market as significantly smaller than pre-harvest, but in its early stages and full of potential. Vaccine adjuvant A lesser known end-use for one of the compounds from the Quillaja saponaria plant, referred to as QS-21, is used by the pharmaceutical industry as an adjuvant for vaccines, including Covid-19, shingles and malaria vaccines. In a similar way to adjuvants in crop protection, adjuvants improve the effectiveness of the antigen in a vaccine by boosting an immune system response. The in vitro plants that BSI cultivate in the laboratory also produce QS-21 and in quantities that could be of interest to the pharmaceutical industry. The challenge, as Salinas explains, is now to get a pharma-grade product. “We’re on track. We’ve confirmed that our extract is rich in QS-21 and can outpace several times the conventional method.” The Quillaja saponaria plant has traditionally been harvested from the wild for many decades. “In 2022, we aim to transition from grams to kilograms,” continues Salinas. The task is to keep the production cost as low as possible. “Once you get to kilograms, you can talk about a supply agreement for pharma. At kilograms, that’s billions of doses.”●
Botanical Solution Inc co-founder and CEO Gaston Salinas speaks to Luke Hutson, Editor in Chief, New AG International
Gaston Salinas, co-founder and CEO, Botanical Solution Inc.
Now, new research from the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) shows a possible path forward in controlling the invasive pest that threatens Minnesota’s nearly one billion ash trees. In a study published in Fungal Biology, MITPPC researchers identified various fungi living in EAB-infested trees — a critical first step in finding fungi that may be harnessed to control the spread of EAB, and ultimately, prevent ash tree death. “We discovered that several different species of fungi attack EAB and other insects, and they can now be further tested for their potential for biocontrol,” said Robert Blanchette, the study’s project leader and professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. “This is a very important first step in the search for a biocontrol for emerald ash borer.” Larval EAB feed just beneath the bark, leaving behind tunnel galleries that can stretch up to 20 inches long. Beneath the surface, fungi —
some of which may be capable of parasitizing the EAB — may be carried by the larvae as they develop, or may enter the tree through the tunnel galleries.
Some of these fungi also seriously affect urban trees, causing rapid wood decay which result in hazardous tree situations.
From Rochester to Duluth, researchers gathered samples where ash is affected by EAB. Through DNA sequencing, scientists identified fungal isolates and revealed a diverse assemblage of fungi. This included entomopathogenic fungi that attack insects, as well as other fungi that cause cankers — which help EAB kill trees — and some that cause wood decay.
“Before now, we simply haven’t been sure what fungi are associated with EAB infestations in Minnesota. This project identified those species and, in doing so, opened up new possibilities for managing one of our state’s most devastating tree pests,” said Ben Held, the study’s lead author and researcher in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. As research continues, the scientists will build on the work from this study to determine if any of the fungi can be used to kill the emerald ash borer. Results will also be of value in helping control the insect in other parts of North American where EAB is found. Additional research in Michigan also focuses on EAB, where the beetle’s spread has been devastating, killing tens of millions of ash trees in the state. Deborah McCullough, Michigan State University (MSU) forest entomology professor, has worked with other researchers, technicians and students on EAB population dynamics, spread, impacts and control. “We collected tree rings across a 5,800 square mile area in southeast Michigan and found that emerald ash borer had arrived in the Detroit metro area near Westland and Garden City by at least the early 1990s, but it wasn’t discovered until 2002,” she said. “EAB is now in 35 states, five Canadian provinces and is considered the most destructive and costly forest insect to ever invade North America.” McCullough, who has a research, teaching and MSU Extension appointment, has led numerous projects related to EAB, ranging from detection and survey methods, population dynamics and spread, host range and interspecific host preference, ecological and economic impacts, systemic insecticides to protect landscape trees and strategies for area-wide management. Other pests also a focus EAB wasn’t the first plant health emergency, and it won’t be the last. McCullough and her team are working on hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a tiny, sap-feeding insect native to Japan. Populations of HWA are in five counties in the state, mostly along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
“This insect has killed thousands of hemlock trees in the eastern U.S. since the 1950s,” she said. “In New England and on the east coast, we know that when the hemlock trees die, everything changes. It affects important wildlife habitat along with soil chemistry, other vegetation, and streams and rivers. Eastern hemlock trees are abundant in northern Michigan and are really vulnerable to HWA. Nobody wants to see this invader spread, so many of us involved with forest health are collaborating on survey and control tactics to help contain it.” Over the past 10 years, McCullough has worked with a team from across the country, including ecologists, forest entomologists and economists, to identify over 450 invasive forest insect species and the ones causing the most ecological and economical harm. “At the time, we found 454 established non-native forest insects in the U.S.,” she said. “Fortunately, only 62 are considered to be damaging.” “When you look at forest pathogens, there were only 16 species, but all of them cause damage. I think that it partly tells you that people give a lot of attention to insects. You can see and catch insects. People like moths, butterflies and beetles. But pathogens, unless that pathogen is causing problems – causing trees to decline or die – nobody can know what might be floating around out there until someone notices a problem.” McCullough often works with MSU forest pathologist Monique Sakalidis. The two are now working to address oak wilt, an increasing pest in Michigan.
Oak wilt is fatal for all the species in the red oak group, such as northern red oak and pin oak. It presents itself by rapid wilting and loss of leaves in mid-summer, and tree dies within a few weeks. Dead oaks will eventually produce small mats of spores, known as pressure pads, due to ruptured bark. They are not always immediately obvious – but are marked by a slight swelling and a vertical crack in the bark.
Several species of native sap-feeding beetles are attracted to these sweet-smelling spore mats. The tiny beetles squeeze through the crack in the bark and feed on the spores. Spores will stick to the bodies of the beetles. These same beetles are also attracted to the sap produced by fresh wounds on healthy oak trees and introduce the oak wilt into the tree. Once an oak tree is infected, the fungus moves into the roots, then spreads through root grafts, infecting even more trees.
McCullough, who has a research, teaching and MSU Extension appointment, collaborates with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the U.S. Forest Service, and United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Her role is to provide research and options for those who manage forest pest issues.●
Larval EAB feed just beneath the bark, leaving behind tunnel galleries that can stretch up to 20 inches long.
Robert Blanchette, the study's project leader and professor in the Colleage of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences.
Photo: University of Minnesota
Deborah McCullough, Forest Entomology Professor, Michigan State University (MSU)
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore scientists have developed a device to “communicate” with plants using electrical signals. They developed the plant communication device by attaching a conformable electrode (a piece of conductive material) on the surface of a Venus flytrap, triggering the plant to snap its jaws shut at the push of a button on a smartphone app.
The system picks up signals emitted by plants, raising the possibility that farmers will be able to detect problems with their crops at an early stage. "By monitoring the plants' electrical signals, we may be able to detect possible distress signals and abnormalities," said Chen Xiaodong, president's chair professor in Materials Science and Engineering at NTU Singapore and lead author of the study. "Farmers may find out when a disease is in progress, even before full-blown symptoms appear on the crops." The scientists also attached one of the plant’s jaws to a robotic arm and got it to pick up a piece of wire half a millimetre thick and to catch a small falling object. While the technology is still in its early stages, researchers believe it could eventually be used to build advanced "plant-based robots" that can pick up a host of fragile objects which are too delicate for rigid, robotic arms. "These kinds of nature robots can be interfaced with other artificial robots (to make) hybrid systems," noted Chen. There are still challenges to overcome. Scientists can stimulate the flytrap's jaws to slam shut but can't yet reopen them – a process that takes 10 or more hours to happen naturally. Seeking to improve the performance of their plant communication device, the NTU scientists also collaborated with researchers at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), a unit of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research. The team discovered that by using a type of hydrogel called thermogel – which gradually transforms from liquid to a stretchable gel at room temperature – it is possible to attach their plant communication device to a greater variety of plants (with various surface textures) and achieved higher quality signal detection, despite plants moving and growing in response to the environment.
"The thermogel-based material behaves like water in its liquid state, meaning that the adhesive layer can conform to the shape of the plant before it turns into a gel,” said Chen. “When tested on hairy stems of the sunflower for example, this improved version of the plant 'communication' device achieved four to five times the adhesive strength of common hydrogel and recorded significantly stronger signals and less background noise." Loh Xian Jun, co-lead author of the study and executive director of IMRE, said the device “can now stick to more types of plant surfaces, and more securely, marking an important step forward in the field of plant electrophysiology. It opens up new opportunities for plant-based technologies." ●
Photo caption: From left: Li Wenlong, Prof Chen Xiaodong, Prof Loh Xian Jun and Dr Luo Yifei share their research breakthrough. Photo: NTU
FBSciences has expanded its biopesticide category, adding further uses and claims to its EPA-registered biopesticide material, FBS Defense 500. The company plans to roll out a comprehensive lineup of biopesticide solutions under the FBS Defense brand category as they receive approvals for additional label uses, with both conventional and organic products.
Recently approved nematicide claims have now been added to previously registered plant growth regulator (PGR) claims. A fungicide package has been submitted and is currently pending approval, and an insecticide package will be submitted later this month. FBSciences' FBS Defense 500 is a broad spectrum biopesticide to improve germination and seedling development, stimulate root and shoot growth, increase chlorophyll content, improve plant ability to withstand stress, increase yields, and control nematodes when used alone or in mixtures with nutrients and other pesticide products on field crops, vegetables, fruits, nuts, vine crops, turf and ornamentals. The most recent claims to be added to the FBS Defense 500 label are for the control of nematodes – the product has proven effective on various nematode species, including root-knot, cyst, lesion, spiral and reniform nematodes. Once the pending fungicide package is approved, this description will be appended to include the control of fungal diseases. Products already under FBSciences' crop protection umbrella include preventative fungicide Carbon Defense and registration-pending nematicide Nemblast. Carbon Defense is now commercially available, and Nemblast is available for select field trial opportunities.
FBSciences also anticipates an inert tolerance exemption of their proprietary active ingredient in FBS Defense 500, in July 2021. With the approval of the inert tolerance exemption, FBSciences will include their biopesticide technology as an inert ingredient, opening opportunities to make the technology available in other formulations with other active ingredients. ●
