The purpose of the seed treatment application is to help the seed and the germinating plant fight various soil pests and diseases
Bee Vectoring Technologies International announced positive results in the progress of its proprietary biological control agent Clonostachys rosea strain CR-7 in the seed treatment market – a significant new revenue opportunity for the company. The BVT trials conducted in 2021 were built on the positive results from the proof-of-concept work done in 2020 in both the US and Switzerland.
“This marks the first data we have for CR-7 on a major row crop such as soybeans,” said Ashish Malik, CEO, BVT. “This is the type of crop that gets the attention of the major global multinationals, and we have generated interest from as many as eight companies to whom we presented our results from the 2021 work. One of them is conducting their independent trials as well.”
In the 2021 trials, soybean seeds were treated with CR-7 together with, and in comparison to, other seed treatment products before they were planted. The purpose of the seed treatment application is to help the seed and the germinating plant fight various soil pests and diseases, and to help with the emergence and vigour of the plant in its early stages, allowing the crop to better reach its genetic yield potential. The advantage of this approach is precision: unlike foliar sprays, seed treatments get 100 per cent of the product on the plant, and in some cases, impart properties that benefit the plant throughout the growing season.
BVT conducted seed treatment trials with well-established soybean researchers in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, with very positive results. When CR-7 was added over the base seed treatment, it resulted in healthier plants during the vegetative stages when the plants are growing leaves, stems and roots to accumulate the resources they will need for the flowering and reproductive stages. During this stage, plants with the CR-7 treatment had on average 36 per cent greater below-ground fresh biomass (a measure indicating the strength of the plant’s root system) and 16 per cent greater above-ground fresh biomass (a measure indicating the amount of tissue in stems and leaves) over the base seed treatment.
In addition, the trials showed CR-7 to be an effective treatment against Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a huge disease problem for soybean growers. Caused by the soil-borne pathogen, Fusarium virguliforme, that attacks roots and the lower stem of the plant, the disease affects flowers and young pods, resulting in a significant loss in crop yield. The results showed CR-7 to have equivalent control of SDS to current industry standards for both chemical and biological products. BVT will continue with further work in seed treatment in 2022, including the second year of field trials.
The seed treatment market is a specialized one with different channels in the major growing regions, where things like understanding the genetics of the seed varieties and relationships to the seed companies are important. It is a market that BVT intends to be a technology provider for partners to develop.
