Marrone Bio Innovations, a developer and producer of biological crop protection solutions, received patent approval from the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 13th February 2019 for its MBI-110 Bacterium, which is designated as an antifungal and growth promotion composition.
MarketsandMarkets™ View Point:
Nagesh Manepalli – Head of Research : Food, Beverage, Animal Nutrition & Agriculture, at MarketsandMarkets™, shares his point of view as mentioned below:
Marrone Bio Innovations has been one of the fastest-growing companies in the biopesticides market in the US, catering to the demands of its customers, both domestic and international, by constantly expanding its product line. REGALIA is among the most popular products from Marrone Bio Innovations, and the new MBI-110 patent is a follow up on its previous patent filing for cell broth, supernatant, and cell fraction, which are all expected to be commercialized in the next 3 years. The MBI-110 bacterium is a Bacillus strain comprising of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and is capable against downy mildews, white molds, and Botrytis gray mold/bunch rots. The MBI-110 is a result of increasing demand for comprehensive fungicide solutions; it is expected to form a part of the company’s products—Amplitude and Stargus.
Impact of Patent grant
The patent grant presents a strong first step for Marrone Bio Innovations in commercializing the Bacillus strain F727, which is witnessing strong demand from growers for comprehensive crop protection solutions. The MBI-110 was derived as a result of testing in more than 18,000 microbes against plant pathogens. The strain will now be utilized as the active ingredient in two fungicide products, Amplitude and Stargus, which are both bestsellers in the company’s product portfolio. The strain is currently undergoing testing in the farms in the US and Canada and has so far delivered positive results against a wide variety of crop diseases while also improving plant health.
The figure below shows the current market opportunity in the biopesticides products market. It also showcases the growth rate and future opportunity in the market. China, India, and Latin America are expected to be the potential markets in the next six years.
FIGURE 1: BIOPESTICIDES MARKET FORECAST TO 2023
Note: e – estimated, p – projected
Source – MarketsandMarkets™ Analysis
Impact on top competitors
Some of the major competitors in the arena of biopesticide products are Bayer Cropscience AG (Germany), Syngenta AG (Switzerland), BASF (Germany), Marrone Bio Innovations (US), ISAGRO (Itay), Valent Biosciences Corporation (US), Certis (US), Koppert B.V. (Netherlands), Bioworks Inc. (US), Stockton Group (Israel), FMC Corp. (US), and UPL Ltd. (India). Marrone Bio Innovations is expected to expand its presence in the market for biofungicides through commercialization and is expected to improve its regional presence to meet the needs of farmers in South America, Africa, and Asia Pacific.
Conclusion
The patent approval of the MBI-110 strain is expected to help Marrone Bio Innovations gain a competitive edge in the market. The strain’s capability in addressing multiple types of crop diseases and improving plant health is driving high demand from end-users. The company holds over 400 issued and pending patents and is expected to gain a stronger market position through the commercialization of the new Bacillus strain.