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HomePosts Tagged "Bee Vectoring Technologies International"
Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Seeds, World

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.

The purpose of the seed treatment application

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Machinery – Post-harvesting

The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of the BVT system in controlling the development of disease, and the yield of healthy berries after harvest

Bee Vectoring Technologies International announced the results of the 2021 Rutgers R&D trial in New Jersey to assess the efficacy of BVT’s proprietary Vectorite with CR-7 (Clonostachys rosea CR-7), applied with bee vectoring technology against blueberry anthracnose (Colletotrichum acutatum), the most damaging disease pathogen in eastern highbush blueberry production.

The trial was conducted by Rutgers University’s Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center and PE Marucci Blueberry Cranberry Research & Extension Center, a leading and grower-trusted research centre in the US Northeast, during the 2021 growing season. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of the BVT system in controlling the development of disease, and the yield of healthy berries after harvest, both critical measures for how long picked berries remain fresh.

Trial results showed BVT’s honeybee system and bio fungicide had an 8-27 per cent reduction in the disease. The BVT system alone reduced Anthracnose infection in postharvest berries by 27 per cent compared to the control crop (no spray) and 8 per cent compared to the grower standard application. The BVT system alone had better disease control than the current grower standard.

The trial also resulted in an 11-60 per cent greater yield of healthy berries at postharvest. When the BVT system was used alone, the trial had 11 per cent more healthy berries 10 days after harvest than a standard program, and 60 per cent more than the control crop, which used no protection products. In both cases, BVT’s biological fungicide CR-7 used alone showed higher biological efficacy than the conventional (chemical) fungicide programmes.

The objective of the study was to

Bee keeping, Finance

Gross margins improved from 39 per cent in FY2020 to 42 per cent in FY2021

Bee Vectoring Technologies International released an update letter to shareholders from Chief Executive Officer Ashish Malik announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year which ended September 30, 2021. 

The company has also made strong progress in key financial metrics: Revenue of $400,000 which represents a year-on-year growth of +47 per cent using constant currency (US$/CAD$) exchange rates for FY2021 and FY2020. As reported, revenue growth is +38 per cent since the CAD strengthened in 2021 as compared to 2020. Gross margins improved from 39 per cent in FY2020 to 42 per cent in FY2021. This improvement was driven by the lower cost of production of BVT’s Clonostachys rosea strain BVT CR-7 and the introduction of the higher-margin honey bee solution.

The company has cash on hand of $2.7 million. The strong cash balance allows the company to continue executing its growth plan as we enter 2022. The company continues to focus on operational efficiency and cash management as evident by a reduction of cash used by operations from $3.67 million in FY2020 to $2.85 million in FY2021.

Gross margins improved from 39 per cent

Bee keeping, Company News, Trade

The company will also pursue other crops including avocados

Bee Vectoring Technologies International announced that the company is expanding into Peru, extending its presence into a major global blueberry market. The company will also pursue other crops including avocados. Peru is the beachhead for BVT’s entry into the South American market.

“We are currently selling commercially in the US and working through the regulatory processes of Switzerland, Europe, and Mexico. We are seeing a compelling fit in blueberries, so expansion into Peru is a logical next step,” said Ashish Malik, CEO, BVT. “Not only does Peru use bees for pollination of blueberries, but there is a great opportunity in avocados, which will be a new crop for us, for which Peru is the third-largest producer.”

BVT has begun the development work needed to enter Peru, including trial and regulatory requirements. The first step in entering the Peruvian market is to secure an import and experimental use permit, which would enable field trials of BVT’s proprietary Clonostachys rosea CR-7 microbial strain (CR-7), delivered through the company’s bee delivery system. Once the permit is secured, the company plans to run berry and avocado trials at the start of the next growing season for each crop type. The data from the trials will be used for regulatory submission.

The company has engaged an established Peru-based agriculture consultancy to lead regulatory and market development efforts. More go-to-market partnerships will be secured with local partners as the company progresses through the trial and regulatory stages of establishing its business in Peru.

Peru represents a huge market opportunity for BVT. The country is one of Latin America’s best-performing economies, led by its seasonal exports of high-value fresh fruit and vegetables, including blueberries, table grapes, avocados, and asparagus. Initially, the Company will focus on field trials of its CR-7 bio-fungicide on blueberry and avocado crops in the Peruvian market.

The company will also pursue other crops

Bee keeping, Sustainability

The projects will enable both companies to expand each other’s product offerings, markets and customer base

Bee Vectoring Technologies International and BioSafe Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) where the companies have agreed to enter into detailed discussions on multiple business partnership projects that call upon each other’s expertise. BioSafe and BVT are both leaders in the agricultural biologicals industry with a similar customer base and offer services and products that are complementary to one another.

The projects will enable both companies to expand each other’s product offerings, markets and customer base. Opportunities include pairing BioSafe biologicals with BVT’s bee vectoring system and using BVT’s Clonostachys rosea CR-7 (CR-7) strain for non-bee-vectoring applications. Specific agreements in these areas will follow after evaluations and more detailed discussions on business terms.

BioSafe has a 23-year history as an innovator of environmentally sustainable products and has a team of 100 people across the US, Mexico, Canada, and South America. BioSafe serves a broad customer base in the agriculture, horticulture, post-harvest/food safety, aquatics, home and garden, turf, and commercial/industrial sanitation markets.

BVT has pioneered a natural precision agriculture system proven to replace chemical pesticides and wasteful plant protection product spray applications by delivering biological pesticide alternatives to crops using commercially managed bees while increasing crop yields. BVT has also been testing and is seeing positive results for the use of its proprietary CR-7 strain in foliar and soil applications.

The projects will enable both companies to

Allied Industry, Bee keeping

The award was presented in Basel, Switzerland at the 16th Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) organised by the IBMA

International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) has recognised Bee Vectoring Technologies International (BVT) with the Bernard Blum Award for novel biocontrol solutions, awarding Bronze for BVT’s VectorHive system.

The award was presented in Basel, Switzerland at the 16th Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM) organised by the IBMA and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture. Ashish Malik, CEO, BVT and Christoph Lehnen, BVT Business Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa attended the conference. 

“BVT being recognised with a Bernard Blum Award is a strong indicator of the robustness and sustainability of our natural precision agriculture solution,” said Lehnen.

BVT’s Vectorite with CR-7, a biological fungicide, controls fungal diseases including Colletotrichum (anthracnose), Botrytis (grey mould) and Monilinia (mummy berry).

As bees exit the hive during normal pollination activities, they walk through BVT’s VectorHive system, picking up trace amounts of the biological product (which attach harmlessly to their bodies), then carry it directly into blooms. As the bees pollinate crops, they efficiently deliver the microbe directly to where plants are most susceptible to many fungal diseases: the flower. Once on the flower, the microbe colonises the plant and protects the crop against various diseases.

International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) has recognised Bee