Production and commercialization of biocontrol products

Abstract

In recent decades, biocontrol agents (BCAs) have been suggested and researched as a potential replacement for the synthetic pesticides used to manage pre and postharvest infections of plants. However, there are other limits and hurdles that must be addressed before BCAs can be effectively introduced to the market. A specific strategy addressing the BCAs formulation via interdisciplinary techniques (liquid or solid) is needed to enhance the yield, effectiveness, and shelf life of the generated product, regardless of the method chosen for manufacturing. This is necessary for the commercial development of BCAs. Regrettably, not all BCAs are able to withstand the conditions encountered during the process of formulation. Stability can be upgraded by giving the plant special growing conditions or by adding protective ingredients to the medium of the formulation. Thus, to ensure the stability for a longer duration and easier application of BCAs, formulation methodology must be well established and validated. To prolong the shelf life of the formulated product, a comprehensive range of packaging circumstances should be considered, ideally up to two years. Even while the percentage of BCAs is expanding, they still only account for roughly 1% of the revenue of agrochemicals. Nevertheless, they are significant advances as BCAs provide disease management possibilities with distinct modes of action from conventional pesticides. Some trends in research comprise enhanced validation under semicommercial and commercial production environments, elevated accentuation on incorporating biocontrol strains with one another and with other methods of control, and integration of biocontrol into a significant system. Biorational screening processes, which are increasingly used to distinguish microorganisms with possibilities for biocontrol, are also focused on the rising trend. Here, we covered the key issues surrounding the manufacturing and marketing of BCAs.