Innovation in the Insecticide Industry: What to Expect from Crop Protection Manufacturers in 2024
January 24, 2024 There are precious few constants when it comes to agriculture, and even within those constants the variations can be great. Retailers know their grower-customers need seed, fertilizer, and pesticides among others. Just about every grower faces some sort of insect pressure, but whether that pest is a perennial visitor or making its first appearance, growers need the right treatment solutions.
CropLife interviewed several insecticide providers to learn about their expectations for the coming season and how they help ag retailers and growers manage their insect spend.
Year in Review
Whether it’s weather, unusual pests, or some other unexpected occurrence, the ag industry rarely experiences a “normal” year, whatever that might be. 2023 was certainly no exception.
“That was a very interesting year, because we started the year with a lot of optimism,” says BASF Product Manager Siddharth Tiwari. “We were coming out of COVID.”
The pandemic was over, supply chains were being better managed: “So there was a lot of excitement from that perspective, Tiwari continues. “There was also a little bit of uncertainty because of rising inflation. Interest rates were going up. So, we had a little bit of that concern looking at demand.”
Even with all the uncertainly insecticide success can be measured by the pests that appear. “It was also a great year from the insecticide world for BASF,” Tiwari says. “We launched a new insecticide in 2023, which provides control for the corn rootworm.”
Corn rootworms can have a devastating impact on crops if not properly managed. Fortunately says Mark Foster, Midwest Marketing Manager for AMVAC, there are many options for growers to treat the pervasive pest.
“Growers have several tools available to them to work around that pest to try and mitigate their losses because of it, whether that be traits or whether that be rotation, or whether that be using traditional insecticide products,” Foster says.
Whatever the pest, having the right tools to treat them available is critical.
“With insecticides, we’re not immune to the channel destocking that we saw in other markets or in other segments,” says Jaret Fipps, Portfolio Marketing Leader for U.S. Specialty Crops, Corteva Agriscience. “However, with our unique portfolio — our Isoclast brands are an example — we have continued to work with retailers and growers to ensure they have products that are effective for their acres.”
Simply put, investing in insecticides is essentially an insurance policy for growers’ other costs. “The largest investment a producer makes is in seed, no matter the crop, so spending the money for a seed protectant is vitally important,” says Will Griffin, Row Crop Segment Manager for Valent U.S.A. “With more pests overwintering, it’s important to start the season strong and protect the crop from early season disease and pests to support that crop getting up and getting growing.”
The Coming Year
As insects continue to evolve, develop resistance, or appear in places they’ve never been seen before, having the tools that will protect yield is critical and one of the many reasons manufacturers explore news solutions.
“We continue to be dedicated to the insecticide market, especially in the U.S.,” says Corteva’s Fipps. “We’ve been a leader in insecticides for years, and that’s a commitment we intend to continue. With our innovation pipeline, we are investing in bringing new options to the market to help growers solve their insect challenges for generations to come.”
Innovation is the word that keeps coming up in conversation with the companies researching new solutions. “Insect pest pressure isn’t going away,” Valent’s Griffin says. “We’re continuing to improve our ability to control insect pressure thanks to the commitment to innovation at and across the industry.”
It’s not a question of whether insects are coming. The questions are which ones will make an appearance and how can they be treated in an efficient and financially responsible manner. “There will still be little bit of concern from the economic point of view,” BASF’s Tiwari says. “Profitability will be on everybody’s mind from growers, suppliers, retailers, to manufacturers like us. The biggest goal for us as a leading manufacturer would be to provide something that helps everybody reach their goal of maximizing their profit.”
Managing the Unexpected
Growers regularly must deal with the unexpected – weather perhaps being the most unpredictable. Weather is only one of many factors that can influence the type and volume of insects that appear in fields.
“Growers should continue to be vigilant in scouting for insects, such as soybean loopers and aphids, which can reach threshold quickly, throughout the growing season,” Corteva’s Fipps says. “It’s always important to be vigilant in using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles.”
When insects do appear, retailers have a number of options to help their grower-customers deal with those pests. “In 2023, Ridgeback insecticide from Corteva Agriscience played a key role for farmers, especially those with high infestations, in controlling soybean aphids across the Midwest. Intrepid Edge also provides an alternative mode of action from pyrethroids and diamides for control of loopers, leafrollers, and armyworm,” Fipps says. “Corteva emphasizes using a sound IPM strategy so effective options, such as Ridgeback and Intrepid Edge insecticides, remain viable for years to come.”
With so many variables affecting the insects, growers might encounter, fields require regular monitoring. “Weather. It’s one of those things that we cannot control, but we can provide tools in growers’ hands to help them manage pests,” BASF’s Tiwari says. “So, whether it’s new insecticides or the expansions of the existing ones, and on top of that, digital tools to help them make those smart decisions everybody will have better efficiencies and increased profitability.”
Biological Solutions
“Interest in biostimulants is growing globally,” says Corteva’s Fipps. “With climate change, drought and other abiotic stressors posing increasing challenges to crop production, biostimulant technologies can provide needed support by boosting nutrition, mitigating stress and helping plants recover faster after a stress event. Biological products can be used in organic farming or in conjunction with traditional crop protection products. They complement conventional farming practices by giving farmers additional ways to protect and enhance plant health.
“In addition, biological products fit within IPM strategies by giving farmers natural, alternate modes of action against pests, helping farmers to reduce their environmental footprint,” Fipps continues. “This is good for farmers’ bottom lines and keeping the land productive for future generations.”
While as a whole the biologicals market continues to grow, AMVAC did see some variation in places around the United States.
Due to increased rain in California during 2023, “The insect pressure just didn’t come to fruition,” says Ted Walter, U.S. GreenSolutions Marketing Manager, AMVAC. “And so, we saw a decline overall in the in the bioinsecticide market within the State of California, which is the biggest market right in the U.S.
“Outside of that we did see some pockets like in Florida, with increased pressure,” Walter continues. “And then up in the Pacific Northwest, with certain insects that are a little bit more difficult to control, like Colorado potato beetle that came into the marketplace this this year.”
Every major insecticide provider has a dedicated team exploring biological solutions.
“Valent is committed to this market space as we have shown by creating our sustainable solutions platform and as a part of Valent Group Cos., we have a full R&D team at Valent Bio Sciences focused on bringing cutting edge solutions to producers not just in the US but around the world,” Griffin says.
The Regulatory Outlook
“Farmers are facing strict expectations from food chain partners, regulators, and consumers,” says Corteva’s Fipps. “Biologically derived products offer farmers additional options for controlling diseases and pests, especially in crops that may have use or residue limitations for synthetic crop protection products. We believe that biologicals complement — rather than replace — farming practices, by giving farmers additional ways to protect and enhance plant health.
“We will continue to develop crop protection solutions, including synthetic insecticides, to meet the needs of farmers,” Fipps continues. “Part of the process to bring our products to market is registering them with the EPA, and we will work to provide the studies and data needed to register these new solutions, including biologically and synthetically derived products.”
Challenges, Opportunities
“The challenges and opportunities go hand-in-hand as the need to provide sustainable, effective solutions to help growers achieve their highest potential yields,” Valent’s Griffin says. “That only happens with a continued investment in research and innovation to control the insects, which is what Valent is committed to doing.”
According to Corteva’s Fipps: “The industry hasn’t seen a new mode of action launched in many years, and so we have to be vigilant about insect resistance management to maintain the efficacy of the current available products. Top of mind for farmers, and us, must be to use multiple modes of action and to follow sound IPM practices.
“We also have to continue navigating the regulatory environment so that we can bring new solutions forward to meet farmers’ crop protection needs,” Fipps continues. “We are excited by the innovative solutions being developed in our pipeline. There’s a great opportunity for novel chemistries that continue to allow farmers to raise and grow a quality, high-yielding crop in a more sustainable manner.”
New technology, new insecticides, and a better understanding of the insecticides will continue to improve and help growers more effectively combat these pests.
“With these effective insecticide products and the digital solutions that we have, we are able to put better tools into farmers’ hands to meet these unexpected challenges in terms of new pests,” BASF’s Tiwari says. “With digital offerings, we can better monitor pests.”
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