Developing biofertilizer and biocontrol agents that meet farmers' expectations

Leggett, M. E.
Gleddie, S. C.

Agricultural biotechnology is a collective description of a wide range of biological fields. Perhaps the largest of these fields is plant biotechnology using genetic manipulation to develop improved plant varieties. This is an area of accelerated advances and the primary focus of corporate and academic investment and media attention. However, we should not let the concentrated effort on plant genetics overshadow the proven and promised scientific and commercial value of plant biotechnology using micro-organisms to improve crop productivity.

Others have reviewed the status of crop inoculation to enhance crop performance or control crop pests (Jutsum, 1988; Macdonald, 1989; Boland, 1990; Charudattan, 1991). A number of inoculants are currently available to farmers. We have chosen two biofertilizers and three bioherbicides which we will use as examples throughout the paper.