Biological Institute leads advances in biological control

The Biological Institute, linked to the São Paulo Agency for Agribusiness Technology (APTA), part of the São Paulo State Department of Agriculture and Supply (SAA), plays a key role in the biological control of Brazilian crops. Twenty years ago, the institution began a partnership with the Japanese company Toyobo to disseminate the fungus Metarhizium to control the sugarcane leafhopper, which transformed the pest management market.

Currently, more than 70% of the microbiological products manufactured in Brazil use strains developed by IB. “Toyobo had a major problem with trichoderma contamination in the cultivation of shimeji mushrooms. I researched and discovered that the fungus is used in agriculture as a biological control agent. I found out about the dissemination of knowledge by the Biological Institute and participated in the course given by Dr. José Eduardo in Campinas. We signed an agreement with IB and began our activity in biological control”, says Minoru Takahashi, CEO of the company.

In 2005, the company stopped growing shimeji mushrooms and switched entirely to metarhizium, a genus of fungi used for biological control, which serves as the basis for several insecticides. The IBCB 425 strain has formulations created by more than 160 companies. Today, Toyobo is the main producer of this strain, which is so important for the production of alcohol and sugar in Brazil.

“The IBCB 425 strain is widely used in biological control, covering around 2 million hectares of sugarcane for the management of the root spittlebug and approximately 1 million hectares for the control of the pasture spittlebug”, observes José Eduardo Marcondes de Almeida, director of the IB's Biological Control Reference Laboratory Unit.

The partnership between the Biological Institute and Toyobo has resulted in the production of several strains for biological control, which together are applied to more than 10 million hectares throughout Brazil. “The financial impact is significant, since the strains are used in different crops, such as soybeans, corn, citrus, vegetables and fruits,” adds researcher José Eduardo Marcondes.

“This story is an example of how science, technology and strategic partnerships can transform realities and pave the way for the future. Together, Instituto Biológico and Toyobo have achieved economic, social and environmental results that demonstrate the strength of collaborative work in favor of more sustainable and regenerative agriculture,” highlights IB’s general director, Ana Eugênia.

From an economic perspective, the production of strains means a reduction in costs, thanks to the reduced need for the application of chemical insecticides, which use imported molecules. From an environmental and social perspective, the scientific development of biological control increases worker safety, reducing possible contamination during handling. In addition, the bioinsecticide industry, which is growing at a rate of 20% per year, has driven the creation of numerous job opportunities, both at technical and higher levels.

With units in the cities of Salto and Americana in São Paulo, Toyobo not only produces spores for companies that sell biological pesticides, but also generates more than 500 jobs. Founded in Japan in 1882, the company, which began its activities with cotton spinning, arrived in Brazil in 1955, when it set up shop in São Paulo as a textile industry. However, it was in 1990, with the production of plant-based enzymes, that the company diversified its operations to include the area of ​​biotechnology. After the partnership with IB, the company transformed itself, becoming the leader in the biological control market.

The Future of Agriculture in Pest Management

The use of these strains plays a crucial role in building a more regenerative and sustainable agriculture. With the development of the biological control sector, there is a reduction of at least 30% in the application of chemical pesticides in several productive crops, with the expectation of reaching 50% by 2050.

For IB researchers José Eduardo Marcondes de Almeida and Ricardo Harakava, director of the Applied Molecular Biology Reference Laboratory Unit, the work of the Biological Institute, in partnership with companies such as Toyobo, directly contributes to the construction of a new agriculture. This approach, increasingly cleaner and more efficient, combines increased productivity with biological soil improvement, enhanced by biofertilizers, biostimulants and other innovative biological products.