In mid-January the team of Biobest France spent a busy three days at the SIVAL trade show. SIVAL brought nearly 600 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors from the horticultural and specialty crop sectors to the city of Angers. Biobest showcased its product range and put the spotlights on recent innovations such as the unique Flying Doctors® hive and highly nutritional food supplement Nutrimite™.

“It was gratifying to see such a high level of interest in our patented new Flying Doctors® hives” says Thomas Torrecillas. “Specially developed with an integrated dispenser system, the bumblebees spread biopesticides, or commercially available pollen, into the crop.”

Upon leaving the hive each bumblebee passes through a dispenser tray containing a biopesticide, or pollen, which sticks to its hairy body. While pollinating the bumblebee delivers it to every flower it visits.“Using these hives growers can enjoy all the benefits of bumblebee pollination as well as effort-free crop protection. French growers were excited that we’re expecting – very shortly - registration in France for the use of this technology with a Lallemand Plant Care product to control Botrytis in strawberry,” explains Thomas. “Alternatively, by using commercially available pollen, these hives can boost pollination – this is particularly useful for fruit crops, such as kiwi, pear and cherry.”

Another Biobest innovation attracting plenty of interest at SIVAL was Nutrimite™, a highly nutritional food supplement. Formulated from carefully selected pollen, it is designed to accelerate and enhance population development of pollen feeding phytoseid predatory mites, such as A. swirskii and E. gallicus.

“Nutrimite™ also has a valuable role to play when a lack of food supply is causing a bottleneck for biocontrol with predatory mites,” explains Thomas. “It has applications for use in a number of crops including cut roses. At SIVAL French growers were particularly interested in the role it can play in improving biocontrol programmes in cucumber and strawberry.”

Later this month, the Biobest’s France team looks forward to welcoming customers and distributors to its booth at the forthcoming Salon du Végétal in Angers (16-18 February).