IPB Group Leader ProFarm Group, Inc. Davis, California
Marrone Bio Innovations, founded on the discovery and promise of natural secondary metabolites from microbes and plants as sustainable biopesticide solutions for farmers, developed Venerate® and Majestene® which are peptide-based insecticide and nematicide products respectively using Burkholderia rinojensis species. A combination of genomics, natural product chemistry and bioprocessing tools was utilized to further understand and enhance the production of bioactive compounds and to maximize the potential of these broad-spectrum biopesticides. An over 100-fold improvement achieved in microbe-based production of natural product was shown to be highly effective in field trials. This next-Gen, environmentally sustainable product (MBI-306) demonstrated excellent efficacy with substantial yield gains at reduced application rates in corn and soybeans. When tested as a seed treatment to control corn rootworm larvae, MBI-306 improved corn yields by up to 23 bushels per acre, a 14% increase when compared with untreated seed while also outperforming the leading commercial standard, delivering a 4% yield advantage. Similar benefits were also demonstrated against soybean cyst nematode as a seed treatment where MBI-306 increased soybean yields by 11 bushels an acre, a 19% improvement and $130 per acre in additional revenue versus untreated seed. This novel bionematicide also showed excellent control with 6% higher yields when compared with commonly used treatments, providing growers an additional $47 per acre in returns. This presentation will highlight the value of sustainable microbial natural products as cost-effective and environmentally safe solutions acting alone or in combination with synthetic counterparts by reducing their environmental footprint.
