well characterized yet. We are constantly looking for new organisms that can be used in the development of biological seed treatments. AV: Biologicals, both biope- sticides and biostimulants, exert their effect via multiple modes of action. Complex metabolic pathways giving rise to highly active ingredi- ents that exert their activity on pests are highly valuable to decipher via genomic and metabolomics tools. Biostimulants, when applied as soil inoculants singly or as consortia, present another set of challenges with respect to their interactions with plants and soil microbiome. There is a lot we still need to learn about the fate of biological pesticides and biostimulants in the soil. SW: What do you expect to see in future years as we learn more? MH: The world’s population will reach 10 billion in the next 40 years. By then, agricultural production will have to double. While biologicals are a niche application now, they are becoming increasingly valuable in integrated pest manage- ment (IPM) programs, giving growers broader protection, an extended application window and better management of SUPPORTED BY ENDORSED BY 36 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2017 resistance and residues. Seed-applied inoculants are in greatest use in North and South America, and growing in Europe. Biocontrol use is growing in all three regions. Adoption of all types of biolog- ical solutions in Asia is ongoing, with those countries that are further along in modern agri- culture having more advanced usage. Ultimately, we hope to see biologicals become more important in agricultural row crops across the globe. Focusing on the performance at the grower level will help us achieve that. AV: A major challenge for bio- logicals is their applications in high density and high-volume agriculture due to competi- tion by highly active and low-cost chemical products. Biologicals will need to com- pete with these products via improved potency, applica- tion rates and higher yields. With this, the challenge of producing such products in large volumes in a timely and cost-competitive manner will need to be met. And finally, novel, stable formulations will need to be developed to effectively manage pests in an IPM program. SW: Final thoughts? MH: It has been exciting to see the activity in the biologicals space increase over the last few years. Within the university and research communities, lots of resources are being put behind R&D in biologi- cals. Both aspects together are going to drive innovation and shape the future for new biological products. AV: In order for growers, applicators and pest control advisors to recognize the full potential of biopesticides, education is critical to ensure their proper use. Users must work closely with manufac- turers’ representatives and/ or the product’s dealer/ distributor to determine the proper application timing and frequency; the most effec- tive application methods to ensure complete crop cover- age; target pest identification; and pest/disease pressure and life cycle dynamics. Because the mode of action of a biopesticide is different from that of a con- ventional pesticide, the way to determine the product’s effectiveness is also different. The best way to measure the effectiveness of a biopesticide product is not only through field performance trials that measure number of pests or amount of leaf spots, but through marketable yield and quality of the edible or final product. Marketable yield should be one of the most important measures of performance of a product used on fruit, vegeta- ble and nut crops. However, the level of pest or disease control is usually the standard of the measure for determin- ing product effectiveness that is used in performance trials. In a standard performance trial in which a stand-alone biopesticide product is com- pared strictly to a conven- tional chemical to determine disease/pest control effective- ness, the chemically treated plot may show fewer pests or leaf spots per plot than the plot treated with a biopesti- cide product. While the biopesticide trial plots may have higher inci- dences of diseases or pests than conventionally treated plots, the use of biopesticides often increases marketable yield by working synergisti- cally with chemical pesticides to enhance control, by permit- ting timely re-entry intervals and by the ability to be used close to harvest. Therefore, it is important to test and evaluate biopesticides based on trials that are true reflec- tions of grower practices and programs. It is critical to incorporate biopesticides into trials and programs in which biopesticides, like conven- tional pesticides, are tank mixed and rotated. SW