AGROCHEMICALS play a part in agricultural microbial research . Moreover , since 2005 , the cost of genome sequencing has decreased 1,000-fold . Fifteen years ago , the cost of sequencing a human genome was in the tens of thousands of dollars . Now it is less than $ 500 . A typical bacterial genome is more than 500 times smaller than the human genome , making these technology advances all the more beneficial to bacterial microbiology . Scientists are easily able to sequence whole genomes of individual bacteria , as well as to look more broadly at the make-up of microbial communities found around plants and in the soil .
Macro drivers
Within the agricultural industry , more stringent regulatory pressures on synthetic pesticides and increases in fertiliser costs are also contributing to the positive momentum behind biologicals . It is impossible to ignore the negative bearing of pesticide residue and fertiliser runoff on the environment . Regulatory agencies have taken a strong stance and continue to limit the use of certain chemicals . One functional effect of microbes that benefits plants is the ability to break down soil nutrients . Nitrogenfixing bacteria and phosphate solubilisers are able to increase the fertiliser use efficiency of the crop , reducing the necessary application rate of the chemicals without losing yields . While traditional chemistries become more and more restricted , yields must be maintained in increasingly volatile climates . Droughts , floods and unusually cold or warm spring plantings are plaguing growers in areas that have not historically suffered these problems
Gene tagging
with such frequency . Consequently , there is a need for more innovative solutions . Arable land is limited globally , so growers really need to have access to novel tools to meet the growing challenges they are facing . Biologicals have broad potential for effect . They can work to improve biotic resistance , abiotic stress tolerance , fertiliser use efficiency , general growth and more . There are trillions of different organisms living in the soil already affecting and regulating plants . Harnessing this wealth of microbial diversity and wide-range of influence has proven exceptionally beneficial so far . For instance , Bradyrhisobium is a nitrogenfixing bacterium that is used as an inoculant on 80 % of the soybean cultivation in Brazil and increasingly in the US too . Bacillus thuringiensis has been used commercially as a biopesticide for 30 years . Research costs are also playing a role in the shift toward heightened focus on biologicals . As previously stated , agricultural R & D is benefitting from advances in technology and understanding within the pharma and human biotech industries . There are significant cost benefits in developing biologicals rather than synthetic inputs , which cost over $ 200 million and take eight to ten years to develop globally . Genetic modification of crop traits is a relatively new solution to agriculture but GM development also has high research costs and products take even longer to get to market . These delays are coming from both lengthy development timelines and strict regulation requirements . Biostimulants have R & D costs of $ 10 million and a four- to six-year development time . Biopesticides are at $ 25 million and five to six years in the US . Biologicals , such as naturally occurring microorganisms , cell extracts or other materials , face lower regulatory hurdles . The EPA does have a registration procedure in place for biopesticides and biostimulants , but biofertilisers remain regulated on a state-by-state basis , as are fertilisers . Compared to synthetics and GM solutions , biologicals face little push-back . Recent technological advances in molecular biology , microbiology and genetics are leading to a revolutionary new type of biologics . These new biologicals are improved microbial species , which are produced as a result of simple changes to target genes , a process known as gene editing . Enhanced biological products have previously been produced through traditional strain improvement platforms . However , these outdated processes are laborious and costly , and they can result in off-target effects , frequently taking years to achieve the desired effect . The newer method of gene editing allows for specific modifications to parts of the microbial genome ,
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