U.S. Biological Crop Protection: Growth, Gaps, and the Rise of RNAi and Peptide Innovation
March 16, 2026 The U.S. is one of the leading global biological markets that still offer a spot for new products. Growers still face product gaps due to banning chemical crop protection formulations. Here is an overview of the U.S. biological market.
The U.S. was the third largest country market for biopesticides worldwide, accounting for 16.8% of the market in 2024. Within the country, the biopesticides market share was 5.3% of the total crop protection market. For biostimulants, the U.S. is the second largest market globally with a market share of 10.9%.
In terms of opportunities in this region, AgbioInvestor biologicals market research indicates that there is already a sizeable row crop market for biopesticides and biostimulants in the U.S. for both corn and soybeans, partly due to low-cost seed treatments offered across a high-volume adoption.
An example of this is Heads Up Plant Protectant products, based on Chenopodium quinoa saponins, offered as standard with some seed company products at a low cost.
Other key products identified include Bayer’s biofungicide Rhapsody (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain QST713) for foliar applications in corn, and the bioinsecticide Serenade Opti (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain Qst713), also used for foliar applications in corn.
In terms of biostimulants, Indigo Ag’s product range was significant in the U.S. market, including BIOTRINSIC (microbials) seed treatments in soybean, corn, and cotton; BIOTRINSIC M34 (Bacillus subtilis) seed treatments in maize and soybean; BIOTRINSIC N13 (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) seed treatments in soybean; and BIOTRINSIC WN29 (Cladosporium tenuissimum) seed treatments in soybean and cotton.
Sumitomo Chemical’s market position was mostly based on the MycoApply seed/soil treatment range (Glomus aggregatum/Glomus etunicatum/Glomus intraradices/Glomus mosseae), used in corn, pome/stone fruit, soybean, horticulture, and tree nuts.
Taking the above findings into consideration, it is clear that across both the biopesticide and biostimulant markets, there is a clear opportunity to launch more plant extract and natural product-based formulations.
Bionematicides, RNAi, and Peptides
Another opportunity will come from the bionematicide market, in part driven by the loss of older chemical nematicides such as the organophosphates and carbamates. Competition may come however from newer generation chemical specific nematicides such as cyclobutrifluram (Syngenta) and fluazaindolizine (Corteva), but this could be mitigated if agreements to cross-license actives can be made, or through spray programs containing both bio and chemical nematicides.
Another interesting development in the U.S. is the increasing focus on topically applied RNA interference (RNAi) products. In 2023, the EPA registered Greenlight Biosciences’ biopesticide products containing the new active ingredient Ledprona. The company uses a proprietary cell‑free manufacturing platform, in which enzymes and nucleotide building blocks are used to assemble double‑stranded RNA outside of living organisms. Key benefits of the platform are that it avoids the variability and impurities associated with cell‑based systems, enables consistent large‑scale manufacturing, and simplifies the regulatory profile compared with microbially produced RNA. The RNA-interference technology can target key agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), and many others.
The key benefits of this mode of control is that the RNAi biopesticide is extremely pest-specific and only affects that particular target. Any excess yeast containing the active breaks down in the environment with little to no impact. As a result, this product segment is poised for further growth if other companies can find suitable economies of scale to bring the cost of production down, making the product more cost competitive with conventional treatments.
Another sector on the rise is that of other classes of peptide-based products, such as Vestaron’s SPEAR bioinsecticide portfolio of products in the U.S. These are based on peptides isolated in spider venom and subsequently synthesized by bioengineered yeast, which again highlights how innovative biochemical manufacturing techniques can be used to bring products to market in a competitive way.
We are likely to see more of this approach in the future.
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