Brazil fungal insecticide registration more than 4 times in 6 years The biological control market is growing exponentially!

Simone Velozo, portfolio coordinator at EMBRAPII, expressed that the number of registered fungal insecticides in Brazil has grown to more than four times what it was six years ago。

Velozo said that between 2017 and 2018, there were about 40 registered records containing three types of fungi: Metarhizium anisopliae (63%), Beauveria bassiana (34%) and Cordyceps fumosorosea (3%).

It is reported that 196 products have been listed, and some products are in the development and application registration stage.

Velozo said: "Biocontrol in Brazil is growing exponentially, by about 30 per cent per year, exceeding the global average of about 14 per cent, with fungal insecticides playing an important role. Once used as a complementary tool, biologics are now an essential part of growers' daily lives."

In addition, species diversification and the emergence of new technologies, such as the use of two fungi, will make it possible to produce products with a broad spectrum of action. Velozo also noted that "As research progresses, the way biologics are developed also changes." In the past, companies focused on biomass (conidia/concentration) in their products. Today, the market knows more about the quality of the microorganisms produced and the virulence of the strains. The company believes that in addition to looking for other technologies, it also needs to have more diverse strains and strains, and better formulations, by studying genes (genomics) and secondary metabolites (metabolomics).

The major challenge in the biocontrol industry is to address the lack of large-scale automated production methods to serve the entire market. EmbrapII believes that bioproducts need to have a longer shelf life against certain strains and spores, a wider range of pests, and greater compatibility with existing methods and products. New strains/strains must be found and even production innovations made in artificial media. Brazil is becoming an important reference in the global field of biological control.