The Future of Biologicals in Agriculture
Midsouth crop producers are always looking for ways to increase yields and/or improve plant performance with the ultimate goal of increasing the profitability of their cropping operation. The below links are to articles that provide information about biologicals and how they can be used to enhance crop production.
Understanding Biologicals for Row Crop Production
The use of “biologicals” in agriculture
Introduction to biological products for crop production and protection
Biopesticides for Crop Disease Management
The contents of this article are a furtherance of the information presented in previous articles found here, here, and here. The information presented below and that presented in the above-linked articles can serve as a guide for producers as they search for products that can profitably benefit their soybean production.
In an article titled Biologicals gain ground: understand types, benefits and application, author Allison Lynch explains that biological products can be living or non-living with components derived from living organisms. They fall into the two main categories of 1) biostimulants that are designed to enhance existing plant functions such as water and nutrient uptake, and 2) biocontrol products that can be mixed with synthetic pesticides to boost their efficacy against targeted pests. Biological products that contain living organisms must be handled and stored appropriately to ensure the longevity of their live components.
An article titled Biologicals work in tandem with synthetics by Ron Smith and Shelley Huguley offers the following.
• Biologicals may have a place in production agriculture, but it will likely be in concert with synthetic products rather than in place of them.
• Consumers’ environmental concerns will influence the growth of the biologicals market.
• Biologicals should be viewed as contributors to yield retention rather than yield increasers.
• Biologicals will become more important as agriculture loses previously relied-on synthetic products.
• Biologicals are cheaper to produce and quicker to enter the market than many synthetic products.
• Biologicals are not designed to replace synthetic tools, but rather should be incorporated into a present system that uses synthetic products.
• Use of biologicals likely should be integrated with the use of resistant varieties, crop rotation, and other systems known to increase production efficiency.
• Biologicals are often inconsistent in their effect, so producers should use them only where a verified benefit is expected or has consistently been achieved.
• The MOA of biologicals needs to be determined so when and how they work can be predicted.
Farmers eye shift to biological crop inputs as Kennedy pushes for chemical reduction is an article that is poignant because consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental and health impacts that are perceived to result from the use of synthetic inputs in crop production. Thus, there is a move toward using biologicals to complement synthetic inputs. However, the adoption of biologicals in agriculture is likely to be slow because: 1) producers have relied on synthetics for years, and may be reluctant to farm without them; 2) grower skepticism toward the adoption of biologicals is underpinned by their “snake oil” reputation that is the result of inadequately tested claims associated with many present biological products; and 3) there is currently no efficacious biological replacement for herbicides that are needed to manage the myriad weeds that infest all crops.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Apr. 2025, larryh91746@gmail.com