Headed by AgResearch and the Bio-Protection Research Centre, this six-year programme will help New Zealand agricultural companies cash in on the global demand for pesticide-free agricultural products.

Scientists are developing a range of new products that use beneficial microbes, rather than synthetic chemicals, to boost agricultural productivity. The products all rely on microbes such as bacteria and fungi for their effectiveness and include:

• probiotics
• bacterial biopesticides
• fungal bioproducts
• seed coating
• advanced Trichoderma products

Funded by the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology, the team working in this programme aims to develop and commercialise novel products, with a particular focus on international markets estimated to be worth about $2 billion annually.

Previous research by the team has developed ways of transforming beneficial microbes into stable products in such a way that they can be transported and sold around the world without loss of activity. The technology has already been used in commercially-successful products such as the grass grub biocontrol BioShieldTM, and is likely to produce a paradigm shift in the way microbes are used commercially.

The research has close links to industry, and prototype products will be developed in collaboration with commercial partners by 2014.

Co-funders:
 
EnCoate Technologies
Agrimm Technologies
Grasslanz
Ballance Agri-Nutrients

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