MARRONE BIO INNOVATIONS, INC.
RALEIGH, NC

The EPA has implemented a tiered approach to biochemical pesticide data requirements that reduces the amount of testing, and saves money, time, and the number of animal tests. The EPA may waive certain data requirements if the original product chemistry or substance is food grade. If initial toxicity tests are negative at the maximum dose, no further testing is required, especially where the substance is well known. Also, public literature is frequently used to support a biochemical compound. According to EPA, most pheromone compounds have been exempted from testing through a deregulation process Microbial pesticides have slightly different EPA protocol. These products are predominately bacteria, but also include fungi and viruses, which can directly kill an insect pest or out-compete a naturally occurring pest species. Each strain of these pesticides is registered as a separate active ingredient. product charter and keeping of specimens in a recognized culture collection According to the U.S. Agriculture Census, these high-value crops account for more than $43 billion in annual production. Minor food crops are raised on 12 million acres of farmland and account for approximately 40 percent of all U.S. crop sales.Domestic specialty crop production could not be successful without access to many of the same pesticides used by large acreage crop producers. However, the lack of financial incentives to the agrichemical industry limits the registration of minor crop pesticide applications. Recognizing this problem, the USDA and state agricultural experiment stations organized the Interregional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4) to help minor acreage, specialty crop producers obtain EPA tolerances and new registered uses for pest control products. The IR-4 Project is publicly funded and works closely with growers and commodity groups, state university extension researchers, USDA scientists, the agrichemical industry, and EPA. Examples of IR-4 research projects include the use of pheromones (mating disruption) to help control codling moth in Michigan apples; using fungus and bacterium-based products to control (lettuce drop) in Arizona lettuce; and using phosphite and diphosphite products to control pythium in a variety of greenhouse crops. One of the goals of the IR-4 Project is to ensure that safe and efficient alternative pest control products such as biopesticides are available to producers by facilitating the registration of biopesticides. In 2008, t he IR-4 Biopesticide Program funded 29 research projects to provide data to support expansions on a number of biopesticide registrations. IR-4’s efforts supported 18 new or modified products which could provide 128 new biopesticide uses. The IR-4 Project also maintains a database of biopesticides available to combat specific pests and diseases on numerous crops. The database, a joint project between the EPA and biopesticides manufacturers, helps link these small biopesticide companies and their products with growers and researchers. The database, housed at Rutgers University, can be accessed at http://www.ir4.rutgers.edu/index.html. The use of biopesticides, according to industry experts, can provide numerous benefits in crop production and turf management. The demand for biopesticides is rising steadily in all parts of the world, according to Pamela Marrone of Marrone Bio Innovations who cites BCC Research Corp. The reason for the rise in demand is because of increased public awareness of environmental issues and the improved quality and performance of modern biopesticides. The general public, not just pesticide users, is quite possibly a driving force behind the rise in demand. The public is concerned about issues such as the potential for pollution and possible health hazards which include worker safety, bird toxicity, air pollution and surface and groundwater contamination. The public, whether right or wrong, perceives these issues to be related to the use of conventional pesticides. In the global pesticide marketplace, biopesticides’ market share is projected to reach just over 4 percent (more than $1 billion) by 2010. In contrast, it is anticipated that the market for chemical pesticides will continue to increase only with inflation as transgenic seeds continue to reduce the need for chemical sprays and governments continue to restrict or remove products from the market. In the sector of production agriculture, the use of biopesticides offers a number of benefits. First and foremost, biopesticides provide a new tool in a grower’s resistance management program because a biopesticide can offer an additional mode of action in pest management. Biopesticides not only extend the product life of traditional chemicals, according to industry reports, but they can add flexibility to harvest timing and reentry times. They also can affect plant physiology and morphology in ways that maximize yield, pack out, and often the efficacy of tank mix partners. When used in Integrated Pest Management systems, biopesticides’ efficacy can be equal to or better than conventional products, especially for crops like fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers. Biopesticides provide greater margins of safety for applicators, farm workers and rural neighbors and have much shorter field restricted-entry intervals (REIs), which makes it easier for farmers to complete essential agronomic practices on a timely basis and schedule harvest operations. Biopesticides are produced by environmentally friendly and sustainable production processes. Microbial biopesticides are produced by fermentation using readily available biomass (agricultural raw materials) such as soy flour and corn starch. Waste from fermentation processes is often applied back to farms as fertilizer. Of all types of growers, those with the largest operations tend to be the most avid users of biopesticides. Millions of acres of cropland receive at least one application of biopesticides each year. Growers who incorporate biopesticides into their programs are typically among the more progressive and entrepreneurial growers in their markets. Growers who use biopesticides do so because they see a tangible return on investment. Growers who use biopesticides use them because the products: