France
July 3, 2020
With the advent of the harvest in France, it is worth recalling the European Commission’s wish to make agriculture compatible with the preservation of the climate and biodiversity. It recently announced its “farm-to-table” strategy, which includes a target of a 20% decline in fertilisers. How can we achieve this? By relying on innovative “green” solutions dedicated to the agricultural sector.
Among these solutions are biocontrol and biostimulation: these methods use natural mechanisms to protect crops. As an expert in industrial biotechnologies, TWB wishes to strengthen its contribution to the development of these fields, in which several projects have already been initiated. Here is a review of these sustainable agricultural initiatives.
Through the Ecophyto II+ plan, the French government confirmed its desire to reduce the use of crop protection products by half by 2025, whilst maintaining a high level of agricultural production in terms of quantity and quality. Biotechnology, which provides innovative and economically viable alternative biological responses, plays a key role in the search for ways to achieve this ambitious objective. Faced with this ecological challenge, biocontrol and biostimulation products are emerging as effective solutions.
With its expertise in industrial biotechnology, TWB is working to develop new biomolecules and bioprocesses to provide alternatives to chemical inputs. Specialised in the management of scientific projects, TWB relies on its state of the art infrastructure and top-notch experts to offer the industry alternatives to conventional phytosanitary products. This approach allows TWB to link innovations from public laboratories with the industrial needs of the field by intervening at several levels :
- On the identification and characterisation of isolated strains of microorganisms that may have a biocontrol / biostimulant effect
- On the optimisation of these strains by natural evolution or engineering to improve their performance (adaptation to be expected according to the conditions of use and the climate) and reach the required market specifications in terms of productivity and cost price
- On the development and optimisation of processes in order to make them robust and reproducible and to scale up to produce batches for testing under controlled conditions
- On the analysis of the dispersion of microorganisms in soils during field tests to analyse their viability and behavior.
This is evidenced by the presence of the De Sangosse group, being the French leader in biosolutions, through its Agronutrition subsidiary within the TWB consortium, or innovative start ups such as Micropep (hosted at TWB) which develops peptides capable of modulating the growth phases of plants.
In addition, TWB has also helped the company Amoeba to develop a biological biocide capable of eliminating bacterial risks present in water, (Pseudomonas, Listeria by the substitution of traditional chemical treatments used notably in the industrial environment. The company is
currently in the pre commercialisation testing phase of its applications.
Finally, TWB works with the two competitiveness clusters Agri Sud Ouest Innovation and IAR, who work directly with stakeholders in the field of the deployment of biocontrol and biostimulation. Not forgetting to mention the expertise and network o f the INRAE research teams a supervisory body of TWB in the fields of agriculture and environment from which TWB benefits.
Today, TWB wishes to strengthen its position in the field of biocontrol and biostimulation and to this end will develop its internal expertise as well as its interactions with innovative public sector laboratories. The ambition is to meet complex challenges in the field and to promote industrial biotechnologies as sources of eco-responsible solutions.
*French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment.
About TWB
Expert in steering scientific projects, TWB contributes to the development of new sustainable production pathways by providing innovative and economically sound alternative biological solutions. In order to accelerate the transition towards an eco-responsible industry, TWB has drawn on collective intelligence to drive pioneering links between researchers, industrial groups and investors. By fostering worthwhile, practical and innovative research, TWB meets a two-fold challenge: to effectively address the issue of climate change whilst creating economic value.Since the creation of TWB (2012), under the triple supervision of INRAE, INSA and CNRS, and, as of the 1st January 2020 strengthened by 52 partners; (industrial groups, start-ups, investors, research bodies, local and regional authorities, etc.); TWB has contributed to the launch of 184 collaborative research and development projects and to the growth of numerous start-ups which in total have raised more than 100M€.
TWB souhaite renforcer sa contribution au développement de solutions de biocontrôle et de biostimulation, enjeux d’avenir pour l’agriculture
La Commission européenne, qui souhaite rendre l’agriculture compatible avec la préservation du climat et de la biodiversité, a récemment annoncé sa stratégie ‘de la ferme à la table’ qui fixe notamment comme objectif une baisse de 20 % des fertilisants. Comment faire pour y arriver ? En s’appuyant sur des solutions innovantes “vertes” dédiées au secteur agricole. Parmi ces solutions figurent le biocontrôle et la biostimulation, méthodes qui utilisent des mécanismes naturels pour protéger les cultures. Ainsi, TWB a pour ambition de renforcer son positionnement sur le domaine du biocontrôle et de la biostimulation et pour cela développer ses compétences internes ainsi que ses interactions avec les laboratoires publics de pointe.
Les biotech industrielles, sources de solutions éco-responsables
Les biotechnologies, qui permettent d’apporter des réponses biologiques alternatives innovantes et viables économiquement, jouent un rôle essentiel dans la recherche de moyens permettant de réduire l’utilisation des produits phytosanitaires. Face à cet enjeu écologique, les produits de biocontrôle et de biostimulation s’imposent comme des solutions efficaces. Fort de son expertise en biotechnologies industrielles, TWB mène des travaux en faveur du développement de nouvelles biomolécules et de nouveaux bioprocédés permettant d’offrir des solutions de substitution aux intrants chimiques. Spécialisé dans la conduite de projets scientifiques, TWB s’appuie sur son infrastructure de pointe et sur ses experts de haut niveau pour proposer aux industriels des solutions alternatives aux produits phytosanitaires classiques.
Différents acteurs du domaine font déjà confiance à TWB
En témoigne la présence du groupe De Sangosse, leader français des biosolutions, via sa filiale Agronutrition au sein du consortium de TWB, ou des start-up innovantes comme Micropep (hébergée chez TWB) qui développe des peptides capables de moduler les phases de croissance des plantes.
De plus, TWB a également aidé la société Amoeba à développer un biocide biologique capable d’éliminer le risque bactérien présent dans l’eau (Legionella, Pseudomonas, Listeria…), en substitution aux traitements chimiques traditionnellement utilisés dans le monde industriel notamment. La société est actuellement en phase de tests sur les applications avant commercialisation.
Enfin, TWB travaille avec les deux pôles de compétitivité Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation et IAR qui œuvrent pour le déploiement du biocontrôle et de la biostimulation, en lien direct avec les acteurs de terrain. Sans oublier de mentionner l’expertise et le réseau des équipes de recherche d’INRAE, tutelle de TWB, dans les domaines de l’agriculture et de l’environnement dont bénéficie TWB.
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