By John Wood, Certis USA Regional Manager

As harvest approaches, I thought I’d take a break from managing pests to explain what I call “bio-terminology.” It’s an exciting time in the biological field. We have a wide variety of biological active ingredients available today to promote plant health and manage pests. Some of these ingredients fall into multiple categories and can cause confusion. Here I decipher some of the biological terms that have emerged in this rapidly growing pesticide arena.

Biopesticides: Biopesticide is a broad term for pesticides that are derived from a natural source and used as an insecticide, miticide, fungicide and/or an herbicide. The naturally occurring sources, or active ingredients, can be derived from animals, plants, bacteria and certain minerals. According to the EPA, as of April 2016, there are 299 registered biopesticide active ingredients and 1401 active biopesticide product registrations.

Some examples of biopesticide active ingredients include azadirachtin (Neemix 4.5), an insect growth regulator that is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree. Azadirachtin controls leafminers, whiteflies and aphids. Spinosad (Seduce) is used in an insecticidal bait to control ants, earwigs and cutworms. Spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain D747 (Double Nickel 55) control diseases such as powdery mildew, Botrytis, bacterial disorders and foliar diseases.

Biocontrols: Previously a biocontrol was known as the release of a beneficial species that is a predator of a specific pest, such as lady bugs, lacewings or six spotted thrips to control mites. Today, biocontrols also include the use of live organisms that can be tank mixed and applied via sprays or chemigation. The live organism Isaria fumosorosea (PFR-97) controls aphids, whiteflies, thrips, mites and psyllids. Paecilomyces lilacinus (MeloCon) is a fungus that when it is applied to and watered into soil infects and kills nematodes. 

Biostimulants: A biostimulant product has an active ingredient that causes a plant response, such as a yield increase or other aspect of growth. A more technical definition comes from the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA): Plant biostimulants contain substance(s) and/or microorganisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to stimulate natural processes to enhance/benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress and crop quality.

There are many examples of biostimulants available to us from literally hundreds of companies that sell biostimulant products today. This wide-ranging category of active ingredients include acids, such as humic acids, fluvic acids, amino and fatty acid products. Biostimulants can be extracts of seaweed/kelp, carboxyls, allelochemicals and other organic matter extracts, including sugar beets extracts. There are microbial biostimulants that include Trichoderma, mycorrhizae and other beneficial fungi, such as Gliocladium virens (SoilGard) which controls damping off and other soil-borne diseases. The biostimulant active ingredient in Certis USA’s AgSil products potassium silicate stimulate plants to withstand stress, drought, salinity and metal toxicity. Bacillus mycoides isolate J (LifeGard), a biological plant activator that manages fungal and bacterial diseases, is also a biostimulant. Its spores trigger an internal plant response to “switch on” resistance genes that cause a cascade of plant metabolic responses that limit infection and disease development.

Biochemicals: Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic methods. Biochemicals include insect sex pheromones that disrupt mating and plant extracts that lure pests into traps. Our copper fungicides are considered biochemicals. Copper hydroxide (the Kocide products) and copper octanoate (Cueva) control fire blight and bacterial disorders. Potassium bicarbonate (Carb-O-Nator) is a biochemical used for control of powdery mildew and Botrytis and peroxyacetic acid (Rendition) is a bactericide/fungicide often used in greenhouses to sanitize surfaces.

Microbial Pesticides: These products contain a microorganism (bacterium, fungus, virus or protozoan) as its active ingredient. Specificity is a hallmark of the microbial pesticides. Typically, the active ingredient is specific for its target pest. For example, Cydia pomonella GV (CYD-X HP) is a virus that infects and kills codling moth larvae and no other pest. The most widely used microbial pesticides are the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) products. Certis USA’s Bt products include Deliver and Javelin that control Lepidoptera caterpillar pests, but are of low risk to beneficial insects, workers and the environment.  

The Bottom Line: No matter what terminology is used, biological products offer sustainable alternatives, resistant pest management and harvest solutions, and low pesticide residues for market flexibility and export accessibility. They are valuable additions to our industry’s pesticide offerings, no matter how you spell them.

Until next time.