By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

Sales of biological inputs and biopesticides for soybean crops totaled US$200 million in the 2019-20 season, a 30% rise compared to the previous cycle, according to the sixth edition of the study, entitled, “BIP Soybean – Business Intelligence Panel,” conducted annually by the consultancy company, Spark Smarter Decisions.

According to agronomist Cristiano Limberger (Spark's Customer Relations Manager), 71% of total sales corresponded to products used for pest and disease control. Inoculants, used for biological nitrogen fixation by plants, accounted for 29% of business.

According to Spark, BIP Soy 2019-20 involved over 3,500 interviews related to oilseed conducted between January and May this year. Limberger pointed out that biologicals have been growing in popularity among producers’ management preferences. Sales of specific products for nematodes, for example, were up 74% compared to the last two crop seasons to $78 million. Total treated area increased by 79% to 5.7 million hectares.

A pest that mainly affects Cerrado, nematodes attack soybean roots and, if not controlled, cause significant crop losses. “Biologicals are also an important tool in MIP (integrated pest management) and can achieve good agronomic results for producers and ensure a good cost-benefit ratio for treatments,” Limberger said.

According to Limberger, the increase in the sales of bio-inputs is also related to the management of resistance to pests and diseases, a practice that requires the alternating use of chemical and biological pesticides with different modes of action. “Biologicals achieve good results in controlling Asian rust, caterpillars and bedbugs,” he added.

“Biological products have enormous growth potential. The study points out the tendency for agrochemical companies to integrate bio-inputs into their portfolios,” Limberger further added, explaining that biological pesticides are now used on 21% of areas cultivated with oilseed in Brazil, totaling 11.6 million treated hectares.