b'PARTNER CONTENTFungus Power Boosts Plant Growth and ProtectionBy: Ben ArendsT heres a fungus among us that strengthens plants from the inside out, supporting growth and protecting against environmental stress. Beauveria bassiana first gained traction fighting darkling beetles in chicken barns, and after a bold farmer-led experiment, it evolved into a product for a broad range of crops, helping growers protect yields and increase profitability.My uncle, Jim Arends, a professor emeritus at North Carolina State University in the Department of Entomology and Veterinary School, first established that B. bassiana is a fungus that infects both larval and adult stages of the darkling beetles that would infest chicken barns. He founded JABB of the Carolinas in 1994 to successfully distribute this as a commercial product. Research also shows B. bassiana can work as a seed treatment as it associates with plants, leading to healthier, more robust plants. One of our shareholders gave it a try on his organic wheat. The old formulation was messy, but once planted, his crop stood out with higher yield and no mycotoxins. He repeated the trial the following year with the same results, setting the stage for where we are today. the plants natural resistance assisted by B. bassiana meant he We reformulated our products to B. bassiana derived fromavoided costly insecticide applications. This saved both time and plant sources for use on crops and launched commercially ininput costs, and hes already planning to use the product again 2016. I joined the company in 2022, and my science backgroundnext season. in entomology and agriculture give me appreciation for howAs word spread, farmers asked if it could work on cherries, Beauveria interacts with both insects and plants, and a desire tovegetables, or grapes. Each question pushed us to dig deeper, grow the legacy of the family business. turning a single application into a journey across crops and Today its available in both organic and conventionalproduction systems. Those farmer-led trials became some of the formulations for seedbox, foliar, drip, furrow, and commercialmost rewarding parts of the story, turning curiosity into discovery seed treatment use. Word of mouth took us from start up to overand discovery into growth.one million acres treated last season. Farming today means facing high input costs and lower Research showed B. bassiana doesnt just stay in the soilprices, so protecting ROI is more important than ever. Our like most biologicals, it moves into the plant as an endophyte,biological technologies can help reduce unnecessary inputs while living between cellsfrom the roots to leaves. This boostsmaintaining or even increasing yields, giving farmers a stronger photosynthesis, stress resistance, and growth through betterreturn in a tough economy.nutrient transfer and communication. Current orders project that our products will be used on Growers are noticing shifts in their fields, unusual insectabout 1.5 million acres in 2026. That momentum didnt happen behavior, and more stress tolerant crops, which raises questionsovernight. It grew from trial, trust, and farmer-to-farmer about what is happening inside the plant. Research shows thatconnections, reducing reliance on chemicals and strengthening B. bassiana in a plant can trigger systemic acquired resistance,farm margins along the way.helping the crop defend itself by producing metabolites andOur products work seamlessly on their own, and when volatile compounds. This natural resistance can reduce stress oncombined with other biologicals, were finding that 1+1=3, which I the plant, allowing it to maintain or even increase yields withoutwill explore in my next article. the need for extra treatments or added input costs. Farmers today want crops that perform and stand out.Customers are sharing impressive results. For example, FranckB. bassiana delivers impressive results without adding to the Groeneweg of Living Sky Grains in Three Forks Montana usedchemical load. This is more than biological innovation; its a our product for the first time this year. When pests showed up,strategic investment.DECEMBER 2025SEEDWORLD.COM /45'