Different insects and bacteria to address them with Biotalys' tech

Added on 05 September 2022

Tags

Lower production levels are pretty much expected all across the horti board due to ever-increasing production costs. We have seen some growers in the UK or the Netherlands, for instance, that didn't plant at all. Others had to find ways to cope with that, such as turning the lights off more often or lowering the HVAC load. Yet, all these solutions eventually result in a lower yield. And on top of all of that, there is a threat growers have to constantly face that might hurt their crops: pests and pathogens. ?Climate change is also impacting the types of diseases and insects that come into a greenhouse,? says Patrice Sellčs, CEO of Biotalys.

When it comes to possible solutions, options are limited. ?The thing is, the use of chemical crop protection is not really advisable,? Patrice continues. ?The reasons are twofold: on the one hand, growers have a very tight threshold to hit the highest quality and the highest price, which is hard to get to if there's too much chemical residue on the produce. On the other hand, with limited innovation in the chemical space, resistance is a growing issue against both pests and diseases. So, a product would become less effective as time passes. On top of this, the use of beneficials is usually not compatible with chemicals in the greenhouse.? So, while there are some benefits to using chemical products, the trade-off might be too much for the grower.

Heavy chain antibodies to fight pathogens

That is why Biotalys has leveraged a technology that has been deployed in Belgium for 25 years in pharmaceuticals based on antibodies. ?We generate heavy chain antibodies and identify a small protein portion, which targets a specific pest or pathogen,? Patrice continues. ?The solution comes as a foliar spray, is very stable, and has a normal shelf life - you don't need to keep it in the fridge. When applying this, growers don't have to change their habits, and it's completely safe and fully biodegradable.