b'There Are Two Ways to Do R&D:The Hard Way and the Harder WayWHEN YOU WORKto bring a product to market, there areBacking up a few steps to So, we developed Trichoderma two approaches most companies follow. The first is the easyproducts That is quite a big process to gloss over, and it starts onethe market asks for a specific product, and you build oneoff with the deceptively simple task of deciding what you want to meet the market need. your product to do. Improve yield? Control diseases? Provide The second approach is the more complicated one and isdrought tolerance? How will each of these traits be measured? a true innovation approach. As examples, think about Post-itYield is pretty straightforward for something like corn: bu/ac notes, screw cap soda bottles, smart phoneswe cant live with- if grain or tons/ac if silage, although there are definitely qual-out them, right? Wrong. ity factors that are added onto those numbers. Disease control The world didnt know it needed any of these things. Theyand stress tolerances have a lot of wiggle-room because there were developed without a market demand, and it turns out,are many ways to measure the same trait and efficacy really can were things everyone needed. This is what most R&D programsdepend on how you look at a thing. In the end, it will come down strive to docreate something that the industry doesnt know itto what your product does in the field in the consumers hands. needs yet and is going to LOVE when they get it.If a new release does not perform, likely thats the only chance it A perfect example in agriculture is Trichoderma seed treat- will ever get in the marketplace.ment. This is an inoculant that you can use on corn. Previously,Beyond data on performance in the field there are several the only crop you might think would need a microbe for bestother considerations. You need to understand how the tech-performance was a legume. However, if you put Trichoderma onnology works and any toxicity or safety concerns. It must be corn, you see incredible benefits in performance.properly formulated so that it is shelf and field stable and so that Trichoderma wasnt something the industry was asking for,the end user can fit it into their management practices. All of this but it was a technology that ABM recognized as having thedata collection takes time and, if the technology is truly novel, potential to revolutionize corn (and other crop!) production. So,three years in the field is the minimum required to build data on we developed Trichoderma products and the M in ABM, mar- the performance, formulation, and delivery system.keting, worked to deliver the message that providing microbesFinally, as is broadly recognized in agriculture, the environ-to your crops can reap big benefits even in non-legumes. Sincement plays a huge role in product performance, regardless of the those days, many companies, including ABM, have developedproduct one is selling. This is also true for biologicals including Trichoderma or similar products, the EPA has approved the useTrichoderma. Therefore, as part of the development process, of various microbes not only as improving plant growth but alsotesting in as many different environments as possible is essen-controlling plant disease, chemical companies are combining agtial. ABM R&D is located in upstate New York where we have chemistry and biological, and most corn purchased today is pre- a moderate climate, generally plentiful rainfall in the growing treated with some type of microbe. season, and occasional heavy snow cover for extended periods in the winter. There is a very high probability that a field product developed in the greenhouse or my local region will not perform well in west Texas or Georgia or North Dakota.Developing innovative products for agriculture is a multifac-eted endeavor for which fully vertically integrated companies such as ABM are well suited. Truly effective R&D considers not only what the market needs right now but also what it could need if only that thing existed. It takes creativity, flexibility, scientific know-how, and an excellent understanding of the field MOLLY CADLE-DAVIDSON and its markets. Having all these elements in one organization CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER, ABM is easily achievable. Having the ability to apply them to efficient mollycadle-davidson@abm1st.com and profitable product development takes a team that is focused abm1st.com and continually re-evaluates its priorities.24/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2021'