Originally published by AGROW World Crop Protection News

Biopesticides acquire mainstream status

A flurry of corporate activity in biopesticides by big crop protection companies has cast the spotlight on this sector. Sanjiv Rana examines the implications for the biopesticide sector

The intervening year since the publication of Agrow’s first annual
biopesticide supplement in April 2012 has been an eventful
one, to put it mildly. One could even venture to say that the past
several months have transformed the biopesticide sector, firmly
establishing it as an intrinsic part of the crop protection industry.
Things have moved quite some way from Agrow’s proclamation
last April that the sector was no longer considered fringe; when
quite a few people within the biopesticide industry were still
wary of the tag “snake oils”, and when the big crop protection
companies were quite circumspect about their intentions
regarding biopesticides and seemed to be merely testing the
waters.

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Originally published on Grainews
by Lisa Guenther

While high costs are still a hurdle to overcome, bioherbicides are in the works and could be a weapon in the struggle against herbicide resistance.

Researchers in Canada and the United States are developing bioherbicides that will not only give organic and conventional farmers more weed control options, but also, in some cases, control herbicide-resistant weeds.

Bioherbicides are synthetically produced compounds identical to chemicals found in nature. They may be sourced from micro-organisms or plants. Bioherbicides can also include whole microorganisms that infect weeds.

Currently there are no bioherbicides registered for use on agricultural crops in Canada, but researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) are working to change that.

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Mark Anderson
Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal

Davis-based Marrone Bio Innovations this week filed for a patent for a species of bacteria that one of its employees discovered in soil near the roots of a tree in the high Sierra Nevada.

The bacillus appears to be useful in controlling plant pathogens as well as in promoting healthy plant growth.

Marrone currently has more than 150 patents pending in the U.S. and internationally.

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A throng of regional business people gathered this morning at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento to honor the winners of the Business Journal’s Green Leadership Awards. Dr. Pam Marrone, founder and CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, was selected as the winner in the Entrepreneur category. The winners, chosen by a panel of independent judges, all have a strong commitment to making the Sacramento region a thriving hub for clean technology.

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