Microbial Pesticides and Natural Products as Alternatives

Thirty billion dollars' worth of chemical pesticides are sold annually. Biological pesticides (pheromones, natural enemies and microbials) comprise less than one per cent of the worldwide pesticide market. The cost and time involved in bringing a new chemical to market have ballooned to $100m and 7–10 years respectively (a biopesticide takes 2–4 years and $2–4 million). As a result, fewer new chemical products are being registered, and many older products have been taken off the market. New regulations, such as the Food Quality Protection Act, and continued societal concern about the human health and environmental impact of pesticides affect the continued marketing of chemical pesticides for fruit, vegetables and other minor crops. Therefore, external factors are extremely favourable for the development of new biological pesticides. Many companies have tried to create significant biological pesticide businesses, but there are few examples of significant market penetration. What are the factors necessary for significant market penetration? This article provides a brief review of natural products and biological pesticides, with an example of successful discovery and development of a new effective biological fungicide by our company.