Why is Italy a market leader in biostimulants?Italy’s rich agricultural heritage can be found across its regions. Indeed, Italy is more than a pasta machine – it produces a vast amount of fruits using various biologicals, there’s viticulture, olive groves, and open tomato fields for the canned industry. Recent trends include becoming the largest producer of soybeans among EU member states, and rising production of sorghum that survives well under drier conditions.
The area for vegetables and fruit described by iSTAT under greenhouse category has increased from 29,606 hectares (ha) in 2008 to 37,645 ha in 2021. This is an increase of 27 percent, 8,000 ha, and represents a CAGR of two percent. The growth has come in a few crops – radish, spinach, zucchini, lettuce, watermelon and asparagus.
The growth in greenhouse cropping presents opportunities for inputs – either biologicals or specialty fertilizer. In New AG International’s country list for Italy of companies with biological products, there are more than 75 operating in Italy, including biostimulants, biologicals and biofertilizers. There are more than 35 large-scale enterprises offering water-soluble fertilizers.
Italy an early adopter of biostimulantsItaly-based entrepreneur Giuseppe Natale, co-founder of Valagro, now Syngenta Biologicals, provides his thoughts on the biostimulant industry in Italy.
Giuseppe Natale, co-founder of Valagro, now Syngenta Biologicals
Q. Why do you think Italy was an early adopter of biostimulants?A. I think it was a combination of factors, the first of which can probably be traced back to the type of crops most in use in our geography. Italy has always had a vocation for cash crops, crops with a short growing cycle and greater reactivity of the plant to input applications such as biostimulants. Due to these characteristics, it is easier and more immediate for farmers to appreciate the effect of biostimulants on these crops. Then, what is also see as determinant in the Italian landscape is the economic aspect – that is to say, the predominance of relatively small landowners. In this system, the human aspect is very important: between the farmer and the technician there is often a personal relationship, a relationship of trust, thanks to which it is simpler and more direct to get an innovation accepted. And then, in general, I think it is important to take into account that the panorama of agricultural innovation in Italy has always been very busy. In the past century, Italy has been leading in agronomy studies and was at the forefront for the sector of crop improvement. This same capacity for innovation also manifested itself in biostimulants, although with a different nuance: it was small businesses that were responsible for this innovation, leveraging on their acumen, know how, as well as the close contact with farmers and their needs.
Italy has always had a vocation for cash crops, crops with a short growing cycle and greater reactivity of the plant to input applications such as biostimulants.
Q. What were the first biostimulant products on the Italian market and what were the crops or end-markets that were driving this growth? A. In the 1980s, the Italian market was based on two kinds of products: organic fertilizers and plant growth regulators. The concept of plant biostimulant was not on the radar. There were a few products on the market with, what today we consider as biostimulant effects, but they were considered fertilizers, as the definition of “biostimulant”, as we know it today, did not exist yet. From a certain point of view, we could say that Valagro’s MEGAFOL has been a pioneer in that sense, as it was the first product with biostimulant claims per se. I hope I am not guilty of immodesty by saying that MEGAFOL has really come a long way – from seeing the birth of the modern category of biostimulants., to being today one of the key products of the Syngenta Biologicals portfolio.
Back at the time, the primary markets of MEGAFOL and its contemporaries were in the high cash value fruit and vegetable segments. Adoption in the row crops segment was difficult for several reasons: first of all, it was a historically low-income segment at the time, in Italy, and hardly able to absorb additional costs; moreover, difficulties of application and results that were harder to appreciate in the short term discouraged adoption. Now many of these issues have been addressed, and the demand for biostimulants for row crops is increasingly rising, especially in countries with a long-standing row crops tradition.
Q. When it comes to starting a biostimulants business, can you share some of the lessons you learned along the way?A. One of the most important lessons I have learned from my experience in business is that success is not always
straightforward. This is especially true for new or particularly innovative fields, as were biostimulants at the time and now are biologicals in general. In these fields, success takes time, patience, intuition, and grit to succeed. But what do I mean by “success”? To me, success is not only about creating a high-flying business, but also a business that is sustainable over time. This definitely requires prioritizing long-term goals over short-term gains. And striving for long-term value for customers, society, and the environment is well worth the effort. Ultimately, you'll discover that what benefits your customers (and, in turn, society and the environment) also benefits your business. Neglecting this connection can greatly hinder business success.
Q. And looking towards the future development of biostimulants: science, marketing, regulation, growers – who or what is going to make the biggest difference?A. Agriculture is evolving, and in the past years also the role of the farmer has completely changed. Biostimulants have to embrace this transformation, too, by leveraging on innovation. This means not only using best-in-class science to deliver effective products, but also becoming one with the technological advancements coming from AI, modelling, data science and automation to consolidate precision agriculture and make it possible on every scale. The other factor I believe will make the difference is our relationship with customers. High value-added solutions such as biostimulants, and complex, holistic approaches such as precision agriculture, require strengthening our relationship with farmers, giving them also the support to use them profitably. In other words, technical support will become more and more indispensable as the complexity of solutions evolves, and we need to keep this in mind if we want to play a part not only in their adoption as well as in their creation.
With more detail on Italian agriculture, we have this report from Luca Rossi and Eleonora Mariano.
Technical support will become more and more indispensable as the complexity of solutions evolves, and we need to keep this in mind if we want to play a part not only in their adoption as well as in their creation.
Italian agriculture, articulate and valuableFrom the results of the 7th General Census of Agriculture by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, there
were 1,133,023 active farms in Italy in 2020. Out of a European total of 9 million, Italian farms thus correspond to 12.5 percent.
The utilized agricultural area is 12.5 million hectares (in Europe there are 157.4 million, so Italy covers almost 8 percent). This data shows that the average farm size is about 11 hectares. Organic farming is practiced on 17.4 percent of the cultivated area ("Bio in figures," ISMEA, 2021), which is higher than the European average of 9.3 percent (Eurostat data).
Italy's agriculture is quite diverse and at times complex. The most common crops are durum wheat (1.21 million hectares), fruit and vegetables (1.19 million hectares), olive trees (1.16 million hectares), permanent grassland (850 thousand hectares), alfalfa (716 thousand hectares), grapevine (681 thousand hectares), corn (602 thousand hectares), and soft wheat (500 thousand hectares).
The Italian turnover As far as the market is concerned, in 2020 the value of agribusiness imports was 43 billion euros and that of exports exceeded 46 billion euros (Italian National Institute of Statistics data), 9 percent out of a total of 509 billion in total exports.
The products that by value make up the most of Italian imports in the agribusiness sector are animals and meats, fish, grains, rice and derivatives, industrial crops, and fresh and processed fruits. On the other hand, the production sectors that most support domestic exports are cereals, rice and derivatives, wine and musts, fresh and processed fruits, fresh and processed vegetables, and milk and derivatives.
The toolbox for the protection and enhancement of production Such a widespread and developed agricultural sector needs tools and means adapted to different territories and needs, yet always able to meet safety requirements and sustainability, social, economic, and environmental.
The use of fertilizers and agrochemicals is often a compulsory step for the farmer, and choosing to target products with a low environmental impact can be an effective compromise solution. For this reason, even in Italy, research and development in the agrifood sector, also with a view to European policies such as Green Deal and Farm to Fork, is focusing on evaluating the benefits provided by the application of so-called "bio-based inputs”: biocontrol, biostimulants and biofertilizers.
BIOCONTROLAccording to the EU Green Deal's goal of achieving the mandatory 50 percent reduction in the use of pesticides by 2030, the associations involved in this sector, of which the main ones in Italy are Fruit Communication, the Italian Plant Protection Association (Aipp) the “Associazione Regionale Pugliese Tecnici e Ricercatori in Agricoltura” (Arptra) and Fertilgest, together with IBMA Italy, are calling for a preferential channel for biocontrol products, which would speed up their authorization for sale, allowing farms to take advantage of natural and viable alternatives to synthetic chemistry.
The biocontrol market and major companiesThere are many companies active in research and development in the Italian biocontrol media market. Some of the main ones, Idai Nature, Ascenza Italia Srl, Xeda Italia, BIOGARD, Certis, Syngenta, Upl Italia, Gowan Italia, Corteva Agriscience Italia, Koppert, Sipcam Italia Spa, Manica Spa.
Earlier this year, Italy-based CBC Biogard acquired Bioplanet, a supplier of natural enemies (insects and mites) for the biocontrol of several pests. Founded in 1985, Bioplanet became the first Italian producer of beneficial insects and mites for biological pest control in agriculture. CBC Biogard is a division of CBC Europe, subsidiary of the Tokyo-based CBC Group. In July 2023, CBC Europe acquired a stake in Ecospray Ltd, a UK-based biocontrol company focused on bionematicides. The company also finalized plans for the opening of a new formulations plant in Bergamo, Italy.
The biocontrol industry is worth €1.4 billion in Europe and €6 billion globally, according to IBMA data. The industry seems ready to invest even more in solutions for Europe when the authorization process is accelerated. In Italy, the national branch of IBMA Global, IBMA Italy, has the objective of promoting the use of technical means for bioprotection in organic and integrated agriculture. In any case, despite the existence of a specific national body for the promotion of biocontrol means, unfortunately, more detailed data and information regarding the Italian market is missing. Currently, only a position paper from 2018 is available in the IBMA Italy website.
According to the Italian Confederation of Farmers (CIA) in Italy, already available biocontrol means, which use microorganisms or derivatives, beneficial insects, pheromones, and natural substances, are now worth 8 percent of the market for technical means to protect plants from pests and diseases.
According to Adriano Altissimo, CEO and director of LANDLAB (one of the main research and development companies active in nutrition, biostimulation and plant protection for agriculture, horticulture, nursery, amenity), biocontrol is a fast-growing sector, with great opportunity linked to microbials, including bacteria. Microbials testing is, in fact, the area in which there seems to be the most interest for companies, even if it is the most complex from both an experimental and regulatory perspective.
BIOSTIMULANTSAccording to Professor Giuseppe Colla of the University of Tuscia, one of the leading experts on the subject nationwide, the use of biostimulants can increase crop yield by about 10-15 percent, and yield improvement has a direct relationship with crop condition. The more the crop is in sub-optimal conditions, the more the benefits related to the use of biostimulant products are evident. Case in point is a trial conducted by Professor Colla's team on spinach: the trial showed that the use of the same amount of foliar biostimulant under sub-optimal conditions was able to increase epigeal biomass by 30 percent; under more favourable environmental conditions and thus with higher nitrogen fertilizer inputs, the same amount of biostimulant resulted in an 8 percent increase in yield.
Research trendsAs explained by Professor Colla, "to date, research in the field is aimed at finding functional biostimulants based on precise knowledge of the physiology of each crop, as opposed to what used to happen in the past." However, research in this area is particularly active and vibrant, as shown by recent university studies that analyzed the evolution of scientific production from 1997 to 2020 on the topic, showing that in the last five years there has been an exponential increase in scientific publications on the topic of biostimulants, placing Italy in first place for number of publications on the subject. An increase that almost perfectly tracks the trend in industry turnover. The most investigated biostimulant effect is resistance to abiotic stresses, followed by end-product quality and nutrient uptake.
In any case, in Italy the research has to face with national potentiality of production, in particular regarding humic acids, due to the lack of leonardite (the raw material) and the lack of paper pulp, from where sulfonates should be obtained, so they usually come from North America or Central Europe. Instead, Italy is strong in production of protein hydrolysates, especially of animal origin, which come from the tanning industry historically structured in Italy, in particular in Veneto and Tuscany.
BIOFERTILIZERSBiofertilizers are preparations containing live microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) that can promote increased soil fertility. In fact, among the most important natural processes that take place in the soil due to the biological activity of these microorganisms are nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, release of substances that regulate plant growth, production of antibiotics, and biodegradation of organic matter. This type of product is not always easy to classify.
For Dr. Alessandra Trinchera, research director at the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA), "the term biofertilizer, which is widely used although it has no regulatory definition and classification, refers to fertilizers that have a natural, plant, animal or microbial origin. Examples include organic fertilizers, soil conditioners such as composts, some plant biostimulants such as microbial inoculums.” Many of them are widely used in organic farming, being listed in Annex II to the aforementioned Commission Implementing Reg. (EU) 2021/1165 of July 15, 2021.
BIO-BASED INPUTS AND PRECISION AGRICULTUREIn the use of "bio-based inputs," a key element is the proper application of the product, in terms of type, quantity and timing, in order to achieve spatio-temporal optimization of product application. In this sense, precision agriculture and bio-based inputs become almost symbiotic elements.
The first point of contact is related to the timely identification of limiting factors to production: thanks to precision agriculture tools it is, in fact, possible to implement more targeted applications with optimization in terms of product use and maximization of the benefits related to the use of bio-based inputs.
In Italy, research in this field is still in its infancy, but there is great room for improvement. For instance, coupling of the use of monitoring systems (both remote sensing and field instruments) capable of giving real-time information on crop stresses, thus intervening in a rapid and timely manner. This capability is a key element especially for abiotic stresses that are more difficult to manifest and thus identify. In addition, precision agriculture systems applied to the bio-based inputs sector are also useful in maximizing the effectiveness of biostimulant use by acting before damage manifests itself in terms of decreased production yields. ●
