Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. and Groundwork BioAg, Ltd announced a collaboration to create and commercialize an all-biological comprehensive seed treatment. The treatment is expected to contain a mycorrhizal biostimulant from GBA as well as a bioinsecticide, a bionematicide, and a biofungicide from MBI.
Currently, there are successful commercial seed treatments that contain chemical insecticides, fungicides, and nematicides for row crops such as corn and soybean. There are also a limited number of successful seed treatments that contain both biologicals and chemicals. However, none of the existing seed treatments contain an all-biological stack of insecticides, fungicides, nematicides, and biostimulants.
The proposed product is expected to enhance crop yield and reduce fertilizer requirements (especially phosphorus), while controlling soil-dwelling pests and plant diseases. This comprehensive solution has the potential to provide a wide scope of benefits to growers (conventional and organic alike), without the adverse effects of certain chemical inputs. The first efforts of the collaboration - seeds treated with GBA's mycorrhizae and MBI's microbials are in field trials on corn and on soybean in the U.S. Midwest and in Israel.
Source: www.agprofessional.com