resulting in a species that brings increased benefit to plants . Due to the relative ease with which the microbes can be produced , it is clear that the next wave of biologicals to reach the market will be geneedited microorganisms .
Investment
The biologicals market experienced a jump in growth rate in 2008 . Many more small companies were responding to the need for innovation in the sustainable agriculture industry and grower perception of biologic products began to change to the positive as these smaller parties were backed by strategic alliances with major agrochemical companies . The shift in thinking from biologics being reserved for the niche organic market to biologics being effective in commercial agriculture transformed the industry . There was a rush of investment from agrobiology starting in 2012 . This was initiated by Bayer CropScience ’ s acquisition of a major microbial R & D company , AgraQuest . BASF , Syngenta , Monsanto ( now part of Bayer ), Novozymes and Chr . Hansen all followed with their own acquisitions or partnerships . More recently , DuPont Pioneer and Koch have made moves into the biologics space . Hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into researching these natural solutions . Money also started coming in from venture capital firms .
Current market
The biological crop chemistry ( biopesticides ) industry is valued at approximately $ 3.8 billion , having grown at around 10 %/ year in recent years . Biostimulants make up their own $ 1.5 billion market and has been growing at around 15 %/ year . It is projected that these combined markets could surpass $ 10 billion within a decade as the growth rates for both markets remain in double digits . There is now new research , new products and a new market sector developing for nitrogen-fixing microbes for corn , wheat and other non-legume crops . This could well be double the size of the biopesticide and biostimulant markets . The NPK market is estimated to be around $ 200 billion , and fertilisers are one of the biggest costs for many row crop growers . Nitrogen fertiliser applications can be inefficient , with losses to air , ground water and waterways , sometimes with unintended consequences .
Therefore , there are strong drivers for the development and adoption of new technologies . Historically the biologicals market was served by small and mid-tier entities , but due to investment by major agricultural players , the current market is dominated by the same large companies as the rest of the industry . However , there are still many smaller companies working independently or alongside their larger competition and some exciting new startups with innovative R & D models and products . Koch acquired Mendel Biotechnology at the end of 2014 , which marked the beginning of the fertiliser giant ’ s work in biological research . At the beginning of 2016 , the company added to their biological platform , acquiring a minority equity position in leader of biological plant health solutions , Pathway BioLogic . Pathway has already launched microbial products , some in combination with fertilisers , which should nicely complement Mendel ’ s discovery platform . Mosaic and BioConsortia recently announced a major collaboration to develop and launch nitrogen-fixing microbial products for corn , wheat and other non-legume row crops . Mosaic stated that the addition of
Quantifying the effects of nutrient stress on the roots of row crops
50 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981