Bioglobal，Utilizing Food Grade Fragrances to Enhance Agricultural Pest Management

Today, farming is constantly faced with rising problems and challenges. Growers may have to cope with varying market demands and prices, changing climate, aging workforce, crop damage, yield quality and quantities. To have success, a farmer needs the skills and knowledge of many professions to manage crop production and maintain food safety standards.

Bioglobal Holdings Ltd, an originated Australian entity, understands these impacts to growers. Bioglobal has been a manufacturer of kairomone and pheromone products for more than twenty years. These products offer an alternative and effective pest management solution for use in broadacre, horticulture and orchard farming. Our products provide effective crop protection and assist growers with other aspects, such as personal health, food safety, reduced chemical use and labour burdens, energy consumption and sustainability.

Bioglobal's “flagship” product, BioAttract has proven to be effective with over 40 pest species. It is a product that enhances the efficacy of existing insecticides and reduces their dosages to maintain control. BioAttract’s “point of attack” is the adult life stage of the pest. This is a “pre-emptive” treatment for eggs and larvae. Chemical insecticides are used to kill the larvae that have emerged from eggs deposited by females, requiring a full cover treatment.

Targeting the adult life stage, particularly females, reduces the laid eggs in the crops, limiting the damage caused by larvae.

BioAttract does this by using proprietary kairomone formulations that have been designed to be attractive to a wide range of adult insects, such as Bollworms, Armyworms, Cutworms and Loopers.

BioAttract’s kairomone formulation contains a mixture of food grade fragrances to attract the pests, and is combined with a feeding stimulant mixture that mimics nectar, this entices the adult moths to feed on the “insecticide laced” BioAttract. A very small amount of insecticide is mixed into BioAttract upon application.

The efficacy is achieved by attracting the adult insects to the released kairomone formula and the pest consuming the feeding stimulus. Efficacy is rapid from the direct ingestion of the insecticide. The control or suppression of the adult population occurs, significantly reducing the amount of laid eggs.

When a direct comparison is made, chemical insecticide application vs. BioAttract application, the different killing modes are clearly seen. The “attract and kill” (A&K) function of BioAttract provides ample evidence of dead adult moths and reduction of laid eggs. Insecticide usage for controlling Bollworm, Armyworms, Cutworms and Loopers can be reduced by 95% when using BioAttract and maintain the same level of pest control.

BioAttract is a partial area treatment product. In a broadacre application, a hectare has the BioAttract applied to a crop row spaced 50 to 100 meters apart. In this row, BioAttract is applied as a single 100 meter strip or two 50 meter strips. This keeps the application dosage and pattern simplified. Application patterns are altered for the crop layouts and specific needs and demands.

A safe haven area is maintained in the remaining untreated rows for friendly pollinating and predator insects. These beneficial insects are unaffected by BioAttract.

Technology in agriculture is developing fast and is adapting the innovations from other industries. Drone technology can give pinpoint precision and with future monitoring and surveillance, applications can be administered before outbreaks in small isolated areas emerge. A single liter of BioAttract can be used to treat one hectare, reducing airborne payloads substantially. A few agricultural drones can give treatment to +200 hectares in a couple of hours.

Only basic application equipment is required for ground vehicle applications, adding a 50 liter tank and pump will allow BioAttract to be applied alone or with other treatments. When soft soil conditions prevent access to larger tractor vehicles, the application equipment can be fitted on smaller “quad bikes” and ATVs to provide a rapid and timely response to pest migration and emergence.

Conclusions and results from broadacre trials in South America and Asia have shown that scheduled insecticide treatments can be delayed or omitted, reducing their overall usage. Crop damage and larvae populations were equal to what is achieved by chemical insecticides. Monitoring the adult population during the trials showed BioAttract suppressing the adult moth persistence levels.

Another benefit of BioAttract applications, it can assist to preserve the efficacy of other primary treatments through delaying the resistance development. As resistance to insecticides or BT crops develop, their efficacy is reduced. This is currently managed by increasing or changing the insecticide usage or developing a new BT variety.

BioAttract’s ability to suppress adult populations is useful tool for aiding resistance development measures. BioAttract technology can be used to protect crops and other treatment products. By using the natural fragrances from the pest’s natural food sources (kairomones) for attraction, BioAttract is extremely unlikely and highly improbable for resistance to develop.

The versatility of BioAttract makes it very easy to incorporate into an IPM (integrated pest management) program where it can work along side with other control measures. This can be the primary treatment, secondary treatment, rapid or spot treatments, in control or suppression outcomes. BioAttract’s flexibility allows for swapping, combining and supporting control treatments in IPM programs.

BioAttract is unique. It can be used for high and low pest pressure, deployed rapidly with minimal equipment, only a partial area treatments are required, it is attractive to many selected species, integrates with IPM programs, suppresses persisting adults in BT crops and is used in broadacre farming of cotton, corn, peanuts, soya beans. BioAttract is safe and friendly for use in horticulture and cottage farms.

In order to meet the evolving demands of crop protection, suitable products are required to be smart, flexible, affordable and dynamic in applications and safe for people and the environment, whilst endeavouring to be carbon free and eco-friendly.

As a pioneering and innovative company, Bioglobal recognizes the dedication and persistence required to create effective, sustainable and safer products for industry and people. Bioglobal aims to inspire the farmers and growers of tomorrow, listening to their needs for responsible food production.