Embrapa and Toyobo launches biofungicide Biotrix in Brazil

In a project developed by the partnership between Embrapa and Toyobo do Brasil Produtos Biológicos, the biofungicide Biotrix, containing the BRM-29600 strain of Trichoderma harzianum, previously unheard of on the market, was launched on September 26. 

Biotrix protects plants by controlling fungal diseases such as white mold, watery rot, and gray stem rot. This bio input helps reduce soil infestation and fungicide doses when applied to various crops attacked by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Macrophomina, and Rhizoctonia solani, all of which are prevalent in the country's main grain and fiber-producing areas.

The event took place in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, with lectures by researchers Murillo Lobo Jr. (Embrapa Rice and Beans) and João Paulo Ascari (Mato Grosso Foundation); and by Larissa Costa de Souza, supervisor of technical services at Toyobo. Enderson Ferreira, Márcio Vinícius Cortes, and Adriane Wendland, curator of the collection of functional microorganisms at the research center, also worked on developing this biofungicide from Embrapa. Alexandre Cunha (Embrapa Cotton) and Roberto Zito (Embrapa Soybean) also collaborated. The launch was attended by representatives of the region's research institutions, producers, technicians, and consultants.

João Paulo Ascari spoke about biological tools applied to disease management in the soybean and cotton production system, drawing a parallel between chemical and biological control currently adopted, focusing mainly on Trichoderma. Larissa Costa spoke about the characteristics of Biotrix, its main target diseases, the benefits of using the product, the results of this biofungicide in areas of partner producers in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Bahia, and the results of the product's effectiveness in controlling target diseases.

Murillo Lobo presented the action and advantages of Trichoderma in the management of diseases caused by soil-dwelling fungi, which affect not only beans, soybeans, and cotton but also corn, sorghum, sunflowers, peanuts, and several vegetables, among hundreds of other host plants. 

According to the researcher, diseases caused by soil fungi severely compromise the entire work of the producer, sometimes killing seeds and damaging the formation of stands, and other times reducing productivity due to loss of roots and leaf area and preventing their development. ″Currently, obtaining resistance to these diseases through genetic control is very difficult, and chemical control can be limited to seed treatment or spraying, which increases production costs,″ he stated. 

Integrated management

Just as the use of chemicals, crop rotation, and the Direct Planting System, which are well-known for protecting crops and should be used in integrated disease management, cannot control root diseases alone since fungi survive for a long time in the soil and have many host plants that multiply them. Likewise, biological control should not be the only action that will solve the problems caused by fungi that attack the roots. It is essential to associate it with other conservation practices, such as covering crops, for example, and increasing the effectiveness of integrated disease management. Without correct management, a cultivated area may become unviable when attacked by several diseases simultaneously. "You will rarely find a field attacked by just one of these fungi. Generally, we find at least two of them, plus nematodes. This biofungicide was developed to protect the plant, partially disinfecting the soil. And we achieved good results. We have an excellent product to be made available for controlling important diseases," says the researcher.

Biotrix should be applied at different times. In the initial phase, it can be applied during seed treatment. For white mold, a disease that usually attacks crops after flowering, spraying should be done preventively, using a spray bar, when the plant already has three or four trifoliates or 15 or 20 days before flowering. The product should reach the soil quickly. The soil must be moist, and extreme cold or heat must be avoided, as well as mixtures with chemical fungicides in the tank during application.

History

Initially, Embrapa Rice and Beans sent ten strains of Trichoderma from the collection of multifunctional microorganisms to Toyobo, from which BRM-29600 was selected. In addition to being an excellent biological control agent, it is a natural producer of indole acetic acid (IAA), one of the best-known compounds for promoting plant growth. In other words, even if no disease attacks the plant, Biotrix brings benefits such as better rooting and pod production in the case of common beans and soybeans.

The genetic versatility of BRM-29600 surprised even the researchers at Embrapa, who were already familiar with it through laboratory and field studies. To ensure the species was identified, its entire genome was sequenced for registration purposes. Then, with this information in hand, additional tests were carried out to identify the genes that produced some antimicrobial factor, with 48 groups of genes identified. "We went after a phenotype, looking for the health and resistance of the plant, and we observed that there is much more than we imagined. This strain is versatile for protecting the plant, controlling pathogens, and making it robust and grow more," Murillo revealed.

After the experiments at Embrapa, Toyobo produced the formulation called "wettable powder" and began to carry out new tests outside Embrapa Rice and Beans at different stations that issue reports on efficacy and agronomic feasibility.

Tests were also carried out on soybeans in the Campos Gerais region, in Ponta Grossa and Londrina, in Paraná, and Campo Verde in Mato Grosso state. "This was a trial by fire because it is one thing to achieve good results within our research area at our Capivara Farm in Santo Antônio de Goiás. It is another thing to test the material in different environments that are beyond our control. The results were excellent, always equaling or surpassing the controls already on the market," Murillo Lobo revealed. It took three years from the beginning of the project in 2020 until Biotrix was registered with MAPA in 2023. This is also an excellent example of a partnership between Embrapa and its partner institutions, such as Toyobo.

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