Biopesticides can boost global food supplies, making agriculture greener, safer and more efficient
Currently, up to 35 % of farming yield losses are due to pests, so overcoming this problem would go a long way to boosting global food supplies. Since the 1930s, synthetic pesticides have been widely used to try to combat pests, but these come with a wide range of environmental, ecological and health problems. These range from skin irritations, to damage to the nervous system, along with problems with fertility and, in some rare cases, even death. The European Union has been taking crucial steps toward improving the regulation and use of pesticides; many have been banned from the market. New solutions are needed. Another promising approach lies in ‘biopesticides’, products with lower toxicity that decompose easily into the environment. The DISPERzero project, led by Spanish firm Indalva, is working to bring to market a new biopesticide range with an innovative type of technology, creating insecticides and fungicides that have no negative impacts on human health or the environment. “The main objective of the DISPERzero project is the commercial development of a range of four biopesticides formulated with a special type of technology”, says Pablo Baeza, Technical Director of DISPER at Indalva and DISPERzero project coordinator. These include a broad-spectrum fungicide, a fungicide for oidium (powdery mildew), a broad-spectrum insecticide and an acaricide (a pesticide mainly used against mites). According to Baeza, the products have advantages at both the environmental level and the human health level. They offer reduced transport pollution, while user-safety is also improved, with no risk of inhalation and guaranteed 100 % solubility.
A natural solution
Biopesticides are phytosanitary products that have been developed from natural compounds. As such, they are free from any substances that could cause harm to the farmer or to the final consumer. “In the short term, the effectiveness of biopesticides may be slightly lower than synthetic pesticides, since they do not generate such a severe shock effect. But in the medium to long term, the benefit to agricultural productivity is immense. They avoid soil degradation, respect auxiliary fauna and reduce pest resistance, unlike synthetic pesticides,” says Baeza.
Smart granules
The DISPERzero team have developed an innovative technology known only as WSG-FB, which allows them to create biopesticides as solid granules. The granules have several advantages. Compared to liquids, the volume of product transported can be reduced, lowering the associated environmental and financial costs. The application is simple, and the dosage of each product can also be lowered. Plastic waste associated with other pesticide products can be removed, and as it doesn’t contain water, there is guaranteed product conservation. The biopesticide granules have no dust, which reduces the risk of inhalation by the farmer during handling. “There is an exclusive self-dissolution mechanism that guarantees that the product does not produce lumps or precipitation during its use, which maintains irrigation equipment in perfect condition,” explains Baeza. The biopesticides market is valued at around EUR 2.4 billion and is expected to grow an average of 14.1 % per year to 2025. “We are currently in the chemical and agronomic development phase of other products to address specific pests and diseases by crop, with the aim of continuing to offer sustainable tools to farmers,” says Baeza.
Keywords
DISPERzero, biopesticides, technology, safety, efficient, food, supplies, farming, health