On December 19, 2021, the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Trust Crop Protection Technology Co., Ltd. jointly established the "Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences Renxin Biopesticide Industry Research Institute". It is reported that Trust Crop Protection Technology Co., Ltd. has bought out some biopesticide patents of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. In order to promote the "implementation and rooting" of the research results, the institute will carry out the research and development and market promotion of biopesticides in accordance with the idea of "enterprises raising questions and the institute solving them".
Biopesticides refer to preparations that use the living bodies of beneficial organisms or their metabolites to kill or inhibit agricultural pests. For a long time, the research team led by Liu Fengquan from the Institute of Plant Protection of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences has mainly been committed to the research and development of two types of biocontrol bacteria, namely Lysobacter and Bacillus.
Among them, Lysobacter is a new biocontrol bacterium that has not been fully researched and developed at present. The team isolated the heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF), an antibacterial active substance with the most promising development prospects, from Lysobacter enzymogenes. Meanwhile, two biocontrol products (gel and aqueous formulations) based on HSAF were developed and demonstrated in more than 10,000 mu (about 666.67 hectares) across 20 counties in 12 provinces. The control effect on fungal diseases such as pear tree canker and scab reached more than 75%, which was equivalent to that of chemical pesticides. At present, the relevant achievements have obtained 8 national invention patents and created remarkable social and economic benefits.
Regarding Bacillus, since 2014, the research team led by Liu Fengquan has screened out many Bacillus strains with application and development prospects from different habitats. Bacillus altitudinis ST15 is one of them. This strain has a specific antagonistic effect on Xanthomonas oryzae (the pathogens of rice bacterial leaf blight and rice bacterial leaf streak). Rice bacterial leaf blight and rice bacterial leaf streak mainly occur in South China, Southwest China and the Yangtze River Basin in China. Since 2015, the annual occurrence area has been between 6 million and 10 million mu (about 400,000 and 666,667 hectares), posing a serious threat to the safe and high-quality production of rice. Bacillus altitudinis ST15 has a strong pertinence to these two rice bacterial diseases. According to field production tests, after two consecutive applications of pesticides, the control effect can reach 60%, which is equivalent or similar to that of chemical pesticides. It can also promote the growth of rice and improve the drought tolerance of rice seedlings, and can replace or partially replace chemical pesticides, reduce the use of chemical pesticides, improve food and ecological environment safety, and has good economic and social benefits. This year, the relevant achievement "Bacillus altitudinis ST15 Antagonistic to Xanthomonas oryzae and Its Application" has obtained a national patent and has also been applied for an international PCT patent.
According to research forecasts, the market size of the global biopesticide industry will maintain a compound annual growth rate of 10% in the next few years. By 2025, the output value will exceed 8 billion US dollars. Huang Jun, vice president of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that currently, China's agriculture is moving towards high quality and undergoing a green and low-carbon transformation. The growing public concern about the quality and safety of agricultural products and environmental safety has brought rare opportunities and impetus for the development of biopesticides.
(Source: Science and Technology Daily)