Creating a buzz for biologicals:
New consortium unites science and industry to accelerate sustainable vegetable production

– 26 November 2025 –

The call to action from WorldVeg plant pathologist, Lourena Maxwell, was more of a rallying cry. Addressing more than 100 delegates at the inaugural WorldVeg-Biologicals Consortium she asked: “If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not biologicals, then what?”

It was a challenge that goes to the heart of the future of crop protection, one in which “biologicals” are poised to play a defining role. 

Biologicals are natural, science-based tools – such as beneficial microbes or plant-derived compounds – that protect crops by suppressing pests and boosting plant health without synthetic chemicals. Examples include beneficial fungi, bacteria and viruses that help control disease; plant extracts, pheromones or metabolites that disrupt pest behaviour or bolster plant defences; and bio-stimulants – substances that improve plant growth, nutrient uptake, stress tolerance or vigor by stimulating a plant’s natural, biological processes.

The biologicals sector is gaining strength as vegetables – vital for climate-resilient, nutrient-rich diets and farmer incomes – face intense pest and disease pressures. Farmers often respond with frequent, heavy pesticide use, leading to residue risks, environmental contamination, loss of beneficial insects, higher costs, and rising pest resistance. Meanwhile, regulations are tightening, climate change is reshaping pest pressures, and consumers are demanding cleaner, safer produce.

Biological tools respond directly to these issues, working with ecosystems, rather than against them, typically leaving minimal residues, protecting beneficial insects, and protecting and enhancing long-term soil and plant health. But despite their promise, the biologicals sector remains fragmented and underdeveloped: products vary in quality, registration systems are inconsistent, farmers lack training, and companies often struggle to commercialize innovations. A coordinated platform to unite science, farmers, regulators, and industry had been missing, until now.

From promise to practice

The WorldVeg-Biologicals Consortium launch event at WorldVeg headquarters in Tainan, Taiwan, earlier this month, brought together a capacity-crowd of researchers, farmers, industry leaders, policymakers and investors with the aim of strengthening national and regional efforts on biologicals. All were united by a shared belief that agriculture urgently needs safer, more sustainable alternatives to conventional agrochemicals.

Participants shared their research and experiences with biological pest and disease control methods, emphasizing the importance of education, technical support, and further research development. Maxwell emphasized that the Consortium provides a space where private companies, public researchers, farmers and government agencies can co-create solutions, test new ideas, accelerate product development, and collectively overcome barriers to adoption. She noted that the Consortium offers a neutral, science-driven environment where innovations can move more efficiently from the lab to the field.

A tried-and-tested approach

The Consortium approach mirrors the successful membership-driven model of the Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA)-WorldVeg Vegetable Breeding Consortium. Launched in 2017, this public-private partnership has demonstrated how cooperative investment, shared R&D priorities and open science can deliver breakthroughs faster than any single organization could achieve alone, resulting in the release of hundreds of more productive, resilient varieties of pepper, tomato, tropical pumpkin, bitter gourd and loofa. APSA is on track to reach 1 million farmers in Asia with improved vegetable varieties by 2030, and has already inspired the launch of an African counterpart, the Africa Vegetable Breeding Consortium.

The WorldVeg-Biologicals Consortium adapts this approach to support vegetable farmers in transforming the way they manage pests, diseases and crop health. Membership benefits will include access to training sessions, technical webinars, field demonstrations, data-sharing opportunities, and discounted participation in WorldVeg events.

“This Consortium is built on the same principles that have made the APSA partnership such a global success: co-creation, shared benefit and a strong bridge between science and industry,” Yun Ping Wang, Deputy Director for Partnerships at WorldVeg told delegates. “It is an example of the open science leadership we believe is essential to building sustainable, climate-resilient food systems.”

Biologicals in Action

Highlights of the launch event, which brought together experts from Brazil, Thailand, Taiwan, New Zealand and India, included:

• On-farm experiences using microbial biological control agents Trichoderma, Beauveria, and Bacillus thuringiensis in large-scale vegetable production;
• Sophia Gordon from the Bioeconomy Science Institute in New Zealand discussing Innovative biocontrol products, such as Oreo Gold, a yeast-based solution to Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, a highly destructive bacterial pathogen of kiwi fruit.
• Conservation biological control approaches that support populations of insects that are natural enemies to crop pests;
• Early disease detection tools and emerging technologies for biocontrol optimization;
• New research on entomopathogenic fungi and synergistic surfactants to boost effectiveness;
• Discussions on regulatory hurdles, the need for quality standards, and pathways for market expansion.
• The Consortium proudly recognized Kusum Mushyakhwo (NCHU) as the winner of the 2025 Student Paper Award for her research, Beauveria bassiana–based management of Thrips palmi in greenhouse. Kusum’s work exemplifies scientific excellence in biological control, demonstrating how entomopathogenic fungi can offer an effective and environmentally sound alternative for thrips management in protected cultivation systems. Her research stood out for its originality, scientific rigor, and strong relevance to biological control. This award reflects the Consortium’s commitment to encouraging young scientists who are advancing innovative, practical solutions for sustainable crop protection.

In his closing remarks, Srini Ramasamy of WorldVeg (lead entomologist and Flagship Program Leader – Safe and Sustainable Value Chains) acknowledged one of the key challenges that the biologicals movement will need to overcome: the need for a plant-centric, rather than a pest-centric product design. Currently, biological products tend to target one specific pest for example, while agrochemicals are often able to tackle multiple pests in one product. As a result, horizontal integration in biologicals product development is essential.

Speaking after the event, Maxwell said: “I began by asking who would step up and from this first Consortium meeting, it’s clear: we will. The commitment among delegates clearly showed that biologicals won’t stay on the sidelines; together we’ll help them become a central part of how we farm.”

The work ahead

The launch of the WorldVeg–Biologicals Consortium was only the beginning. Building on the momentum from more than 100 participants, the Consortium will now move into a phase of capacity sharing, joint research, and structured collaboration to turn ideas into impact. It includes:

1. Technical training for researchers

The first formal activity planned for 2026 will be a technical training program designed for researchers, industry technical teams, and advanced practitioners. This hands-on training – tentatively scheduled for May 2026 – will cover: microbial identification and characterization, biocontrol strain evaluation, application strategies in field and protected systems, formulation fundamentals, regulatory and quality-assurance basics. This responds directly to member interest in new technologies, practical skills, training opportunities, and field application examples, as reflected in the membership survey.

2. Industry-led project calls – Co-investing to solve common problems

In 2026, the Consortium will open its first Call for Consortium-Led Projects, inviting two or more companies to jointly invest in: Collaborative field trials, IPM package development,  and formulation optimization. This co-investment model – successfully proven in the APSA–WorldVeg vegetable breeding consortium – creates a fair, transparent, and win-win pathway for industry and researchers to accelerate solutions that no single actor could develop alone. It responds to a core objective of the Consortium to bring companies together around shared challenges.

3. Launch of the WorldVeg Biologicals Consortium website

A Consortium website will soon be launched, where members can find: information on new research and technologies, field demonstration results, product and supplier information, policy and regulatory updates, job opportunities in biologicals, funding and grant calls, training announcements, upcoming events and webinars, and project opportunities.