Botanical-based crop protection and aquaculture company STK Bio-Ag Technologies has dropped its generic sales to focus on botanical and hybrid crop protection products.
Luke Hutson, Editor in Chief with New AG International, speaks with vice-president of sales, Yair Nativ.
In an exclusive interview with Yair Nativ, vice-president of sales with STK Bio-Ag Technologies, STK told NAI that it is no longer dealing or selling non-proprietary products or generic products. Nativ said the decision was a difficult one, but it was an area where the company felt there was no longer an advantage.
“The target is to sell only proprietary products,” says Nativ. “We don’t have an advantage in fighting to sell another litre [of generics].”
The company is now selling three crop protection products: the organic botanical fungicides Timorex and Dekel, and the hybrid fungicide product Regev.
Regev in U.S. It was just over a year ago – June 2020 – that STK made its first shipments to the U.S. market of its Regev product. Launched three years ago, Regev is STK’s hybrid fungicide product that incorporates a botanical extract with a synthetic pesticide difenoconazole in a liquid formulation.
The company said the product serves as a “bridge,” providing farmers an easy-to-use crop protection solution while enabling them to lower their chemical load.
“It’s going very well,” says Nativ, who began his career as an agronomist in Israel 21 years ago. “Penetrating the U.S. is never easy, but it’s going according to plan.”
The botanical extract in Regev is tea tree oil, which is sourced from Australia. This botanical extract enhances the activity of difenoconazole, providing increased disease control while reducing chemical usage and having only one residue.
Summit Agro has been STK’s exclusive distributor for Regev in the U.S. since signing an agreement in April 2019.
Nativ confirms the company is selling Regev in most states in the U.S., with the notable absence being California. Both active ingredients are registered separately in California but the product itself also needs to be registered. Nativ says the application for Regev is in progress, and the company is hoping for registration in California by the end of 2021.
Customer base End-users of Regev in the U.S., as well as other markets, tend to be fresh vegetable and fruit producers, and large-scale plantations, such as banana. Nativ describes a typical customer as one worried about having a lower residue. “I would also say the smart guys who want to lower the risk of resistance,” he added.
Regev is used in greenhouse and in open field, such as almonds.
Nativ emphasizes the ease-of-use of the product. It is used exactly the same way as the grower’s current chemical fungicide. There is no mixing, it does not require refrigeration, and Regev has a shelf-life of two years.
An unexpected challenge when marketing the product is the pronunciation of Regev in Spanish speaking markets. Nativ notes this is something the company will consider more fully when branding future products.
Logistics In terms of logistics, STK is shipping the finished product to the U.S. from two ports in Israel – Ashdod and Haifa – in containers. Nativ has witnessed the increase in freights for containers, a phenomenon seen in the shipping of commodities since mid-2020. Freights are up from $2,000 to $6,000 for a container. Israel to the U.S. has a transit time of four weeks, with Chile being six to seven weeks. STK is shipping finished products in 0.5 litre bottles and 200 litre drums.
Product delivery The application rate for Regev is typically 2kg/hectare, 300-500ml/hectare, with usage depending on crop.
Application by drone is increasing, notes Nativ. He says drones are being used for spraying of the
product in Colombia and Guatemala. Nativ understands that drones used on some banana plantations are able to carry and apply 60 litres of product. As an aside, when it comes to bananas, Nativ said drones are often used in the nursery, which is a smaller area.
Next steps The next stage of the STK strategy is to continue growing in the U.S., and in the longer term to increase the portfolio of proprietary products. For the U.S. market, the next task is to add more crops to the Regev label, says Nativ. The company is running trials on more crops and diseases, and will use the results to enhance the label.
Lining up the horses The company is looking to develop new hybrid products with tea tree oil and is also looking at other plant extracts. Nativ says the company is sampling hundreds of other plant extracts.
The company is looking to develop insecticide and fungicide products – both “solo”, in other words fully biocontrol, and hybrid. At this point, Nativ does not foresee a herbicide product emerging.
The next hybrid product is likely to be ready in about two years, and a new biological product in about five to eight years, in Nativ’s estimation. He notes Regev took more than eight years to develop.
He likens the R&D stage to saddling horses for a race. “We will have a lot of horses at the start, far more than there will be at the end of the race.” ●
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In summer 2020, Syngenta formed a new biologicals team tasked with providing growers more choices, flexibility and technologies. The biologicals team will work closely with the broader Syngenta crop protection teams to leverage the expertise in research and development (R&D) and the connections to the farmers. The business has a strong internal R&D pipeline and also plans to tap into emerging biological technologies of universities, startups and existing companies around the world.
As part of the build-up to ABIM, NAI editor-in-chief Luke Hutson spoke with Corey Huck, Head of Global Biologicals, Syngenta, who is scheduled to present at the event in October. Q. Firstly, just to orientate ourselves. In June 2020, Syngenta Group was launched combining Syngenta AG, headquartered in Switzerland; ADAMA, based in Israel; and the agricultural business of Sinochem in China; and splitting into four units – crop protection, seeds, ADAMA and Syngenta Group China. Presumably Syngenta Biologicals sits within Syngenta Crop Protection. Could you give us a quick overview of where biologicals sits in the organization, when it was officially launched and where it sits geographically? A. Syngenta Biologicals team was formed to bring our science-based innovation to offer more choices and flexibility for growers. Syngenta Biologicals is a part of Syngenta Crop Protection which in turn is a business unit of Syngenta Group. While biological products have been in Syngenta’s portfolio for many years, Syngenta Biologicals became a dedicated business last year and the team was much strengthened with the acquisition of Valagro in October 2020. We are a global business with sales in more than 80 countries, and the leadership team is based around the world, including Switzerland, Italy and the U.S.
Q. What was the thinking behind Syngenta Biologicals – obviously the clue is in the name, but was the name chosen deliberately so biostimulants could be incorporated along with biocontrol? Is that part of the reason for a separate business division? A. There are several reasons behind forming a dedicated business. Firstly, it demonstrates that Syngenta is committed to providing farmers with more choices to grow their crops in order to meet society’s changing demands around how our food is produced. We recognize farmers’ needs and are making investments to support them. Secondly, a dedicated team provides the focus needed to lead the discovery and development of a science-based biologicals industry. With biostimulants and biocontrols, alongside conventional crop protection solutions, Syngenta Biologicals is well-positioned to offer farmers greater flexibility to manage their crop effectively and sustainably. Biostimulants are an integral part of biologicals. Addressing abiotic stresses such as drought or wind, biostimulants support growers to improve plant health and manage the effects of climate change. So the name is broadly about connecting science and nature, and helping growers care for their crops and the environment.
Q. Moving to the activity of Syngenta Biologicals since its inception. How would you summarize it so far? What have been the opening objectives? A. The team aims to drive biological plant and soil health technologies, helping growers improve farm productivity and creating a sustainable future for people and nature. To this end, we have formed new partnerships and deepened existing ones while expanding our internal R&D efforts. We are collaborating with dozens of scientific and academic organizations, as well as promising agtech start-ups and established companies. The most significant milestone was the acquisition of Valagro, the market-leading biostimulant company and an innovative pioneer with 40 years of experience.
Q. I notice that partnering with several companies has been a feature, such as Novozymes and Rizobacter. Is this part of the strategy? Will in-house product development also be a part of Syngenta Biologicals activity? A. We take an expansive approach to innovation to complement internal R&D capabilities, and are engaged in both partnerships and in-house product development. The external collaboration model has been very successful, and it is part of our core strategy to be recognized as the partner of choice. Valagro is active in product development with its in-house technology platform, GeaPower, and this will continue. Geapower leverages on deep knowledge and tools in phenomics and genomics to understand active ingredients and natural products in order to provide effective in-house solutions for farmers. An example of its innovative output is Valagro’s TALATE, a new solution for sustainable water management working directly on plant physiology to help farmers to manage water use more efficiently. It increases crop water productivity and there is currently no similar product in the market.
Q. The acquisition of Valagro by Syngenta in 2020 was one of the key moments of M&A in the year. At the time, it was communicated that Valagro would continue to operate as an independent brand within the market under the Syngenta Crop Protection business. Is this still the plan? Where does Valagro currently sit within the business since I'm sure there will be efficiencies in sales and research that can be explored? A. Valagro has a strong reputation in the market as the leading brand in biostimulants and as a trusted name in biological innovation amongst growers. Therefore, Valagro will continue to operate as an independent brand, working hand-in-hand with Syngenta as one team. Valagro and Syngenta share a strong foundation in science-based innovation, with a similar focus on people and nature, and to make agriculture more sustainable.
Q. And a personal one now, Corey – you have this opportunity to lead a new division in Syngenta. From your previous roles, what do you feel your experience can bring to the new business? A. First, I am grateful to have enjoyed a career dedicated to agriculture. The majority of my career experience is with customers, primarily in sales and marketing. I’ve had an opportunity to expand my experience through roles with global responsibilities during my tenure. I worked outside Syngenta for some time, allowing me to gain new insights and different perspectives. During this time, I collaborated with partners in early-stage synthetic biology technologies and funding early-stage companies with venture capital. I know first-hand that there are exciting new science and technologies, in labs, start-up companies and large R&D organizations which will be met by the right capital, allowing the best to find their way to the market. Growers and consumers are demanding more sustainable solutions from agriculture and how their food is produced. Syngenta Biologicals’ ambition is to lead and shape this emerging space with science driven products, while delivering on our sustainability commitments.
Q. And finally, I understand Syngenta Biologicals will be presenting at ABIM 2021. Could you give us an overview of the presentation, perhaps some points that will be stressed or key take-aways. A. We will be supporting ABIM 2021 with a strong Syngenta presence. Our booth will be a connection point with all delegates and to deepen our existing partnerships. There will be three key themes. Firstly, we want to reinforce Syngenta Biologicals’ leadership in the market segment. The second is to signal our openness – Syngenta recognizes the innovation potential that other technology companies can deliver, and is open to explore collaboration opportunities, leveraging our core strengths and global footprint. Finally, it’s all about sustainability for people and nature, which drives our strategic agenda and underlies our efforts in promoting biologicals as a solution to growers. ●
Corey Huck, Head of Global Biologicals, Syngenta
Syngenta Biologicals became a dedicated business last year and the team was much strengthened with the acquisition of Valagro in October 2020.
Photo: Diane Jones
We are collaborating with dozens of scientific and academic organizations, as well as promising agtech start-ups and established companies.
The U.S. Agricultural Research Service scientists have confirmed a biocontrol insect they have been releasing to fight the invasive weed known as Cape ivy has become established in at least four locations along the California coast.
Research entomologist Patrick Moran and entomologist Scott Portman, with the ARS Invasive Species and Pollinator Health Research Unit in Albany, California, have been releasing the shoot tip-galling fly (Parafreutreta regalis) at 18 locations along the coast, from Humboldt county in northern California to San Luis Obispo in central California, in hopes of developing a self-sustaining control for Cape ivy (Delairea odorata).
Since 2016, more than 5,000 shoot tip-galling flies have been released through the ARS research program. Additional releases have been made in southern California through a collaboration with researchers at the University of California- Santa Barbara.
Considered one of the top 10 worst invasive weeds on the U.S. west coast, Cape ivy (also known as German ivy) has invaded coastal habitats from California to Oregon. It smothers and displaces native plants, clogging water flow along stream banks, interfering with flood control and consuming valuable water resources.
Cape ivy is native to South Africa, where it inhabits coastal sites and mountain forests. Its frequency there is limited in part because of natural insect enemies, including the shoot tip-galling fly. D. odorata has demonstrated its invasive nature on three continents, with California and parts of Australia probably being the worst impacted by the vine. In California alone, Cape ivy covers more than 500,000 acres, often invading areas unsuitable for chemical or mechanical control. It forms impenetrable mats and climbs to drape trees and shrubs. Although it belongs to the sunflower plant family, it is aptly nicknamed the "kudzu of the west."
Before the shoot tip-galling fly was released in California, now retired ARS research entomologist Joe Balciunas tested the fly against 99 other plant species to ensure it would not harm wild native and crop plants in California. Field observations in South Africa confirmed the fly attacks no other plant species but Cape ivy.
Moran and Portman found the shoot tip-galling fly is reproducing rapidly at Coast Dairies State Park, Garrapata State Park, Glen Deven Ranch and the San Luis Obispo Land Conservancy. Since 2018, the number of Cape ivy galls has multiplied by up to 40 times at these four locations; each gall indicating a place where a female fly has laid her eggs. Counting galls is the best way to measure the population density of these quarter-inch long insects.
As its name suggests, the shoot tip-galling fly lays eggs inside the shoot tips of Cape ivy. Once the eggs hatch, the fly larvae feed inside the growing shoot. Responding to larval secretions, the plant forms a hollow, marble-sized gall. Adults emerge by breaking through a small, thin "window" the larvae chew in the gall. ●
Cape ivy forms impenetrable mats and climbs to drape trees and shrubs.
Photo: Scott Portman
Futureco Bioscience has obtained a European patent for the production and commercial use of Pseudomonas putida strain B2017. The strain has been evaluated in different vegetable crops (tomato, lettuce, cucumber, courgette, potato) as well as in vineyards and fruit trees, and has shown great potential for the control of a broad spectrum of agricultural diseases including fungi causing powdery mildew (Oidium neolycopersici, Glovomyces chicharacearum, Leveillula taurica, Erisiphe necator) downy mildew (Bremia lactucae, Phytophthora infestans, Plasmopara vitícola), rots (Fusarium oxysporium), sclerotinia, pox (Rhizoctonia solani), and bacterial diseases such as Pseudomonas syringae, Pectobacterium and Xanthomonas.
"We are always excited to discover and characterize strains with such high biocontrol potential," said Carolina Fernandez, research and development director at Futureco Bioscience. " We took three years to successfully complete the microbiological, molecular and biochemical characterization of the strain and to formulate the first stable prototypes. The results of efficacy evaluation trials on a broad range of different pathogens, both in climatic chambers and greenhouses, left us in no doubt: we had to apply for a patent. Since then, in parallel to the patent application, we have further validated and optimized the prototype in the field, and we have carried out all the necessary studies for the registration of this microorganism as a biopesticide.”
The first formulation, codified as B2017 OD, is now in trials in Spain, Italy, France, among other countries, showing “exceptional” results,’ according to the company.
The patent will last 20 years. After this period, the only "protective" element for the commercialization and marketing of derived products will be their registrations in the different countries.
This strain of Pseudomonas putida strain B2017 can work against fungal diseases and bacterial diseases. The strain produces siderophores – iron carriers – (including a particular pyoverdin) and a series of enzymes (esterase - C4, alkaline phosphatase, leucine arylamidase and Naphtol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase) that allow the bacteria to compete for space and nutrients with a broad spectrum of agricultural diseases.
The company stated the current formulation is an oil dispersion for foliar application. “This option has proven to be the more effective in ensuring adequate shelf life of the microorganism,” noted Fernandez. “We are currently developing other formulations, such as wettable powder and water-dispersible granules.” ●
(Read more from our exclusive in July 2021 2BMonthly e-newsletter)
Scientist from Futureco Bioscience laboratories preparing the inoculum of Pseudomonas putida B2017 for the bioreactor.
Scientist at Futureco Bioscience laboratories, sampling to analyze the viability of the strain during the process.
Photos: Futureco Bioscience
A coordinated national research project aimed at tackling six of New Zealand's most invasive weeds through biocontrol is expected to have far-reaching benefits for landowners and councils across the country.
The three-year, NZD$3.2 million project is backed by the Ministry for Primary Industries' (MPI's) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund; Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research; and the National Biocontrol Collective, a consortium of regional councils, unitary authorities and the Department of Conservation.
"There's no doubt about it – weeds are a constant source of stress for landowners," says Phil McKenzie, chair of the project's governance group. "Biocontrol has the potential to provide a longer-term solution at a time when more registered herbicides are being restricted by our export trading countries, weeds are becoming resistant to herbicides, and New Zealand society is demanding more environmentally friendly farming practices."
The project has three workstreams: advance biocontrol programs for several high-priority weeds; monitor weed reduction in matured biocontrol programs on productive land; and develop a partnership for sustaining investment in weed biocontrol.
The project will focus on Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia), Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana), old man's beard (Clematis vitalba), woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum), Chilean flame creeper (Tropaeolum speciosum) and yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus).
By completion, the project aims to secure Environmental Protection Authority approval for the release of new biocontrol agents for at least three of the six weed species.
"Biocontrol can be a long-term, cost-effective and sustainable weed management solution," says Steve Penno, MPI's director investment programs. "By pooling our research efforts across multiple development streams, including adopting what's worked in previous biocontrol programs, we'll be able to accelerate progress considerably.” ●
Phil McKenzie, chair of the project's governance group
Left to right (clockwise)
Chilean flame creeper (Tropaeolum speciosum) Woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum) Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia) Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana)
Photos: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries
Cuba will increase its biopesticide production capacity this year, with the completion of two biopesticide plants under construction in Havana and Villa Clara provinces, Cuba’s Agriculture Ministry reported.
Both plants, belonging to Labiofam Business Group (Pharmaceutical Labs), will have a fermentation capacity of up to six million litres – providing coverage to treat about four million hectares annually.
In February 2021, 2BMonthly reported that the plan by Labiofam included three industrial complexes, located in Havana, Villa Clara and Granma, which are projected to meet practically the entire domestic demand for biofertilizers, biostimulants and biopesticides.
According to engineer Teobaldo Cruz Méndez, lead investment specialist at Labiofam State Enterprise Management Group (OSDE), the production of Labiofam's plants meets an estimated 26 percent of the country’s total demand for bioproducts. In addition to increasing production of biofertilizers and biopesticides, the enterprise plans to produce some 1,080 tons of Biorat (a salmonella-based rodenticide). Likewise, the production of the crop biostimulant Biobras 16 is also projected. Between the Havana and Villa Clara industrial complexes, the figures should reach 220,000 liters per year, the engineer reported. ●
