Pest control innovator shares take on biopesticides

Pam Marrone is the founder and former CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, now ProFarm Group, a leading developer of biological pesticides, or biologicals. An entomologist by training, she started her career in the early 1980s at Monsanto, where she led one of the world’s first microbial natural product screening programs focused on pest control without the use of chemicals. Marrone also started and led bio-based product companies Entotech and AgraQuest before forming the Invasive Species Corporation in 2022. She responded to questions during an interview with Ag Alert®. The below conversation was edited for length and clarity.

What is the biggest misunderstanding farmers have about the efficacy of modern biologicals compared to synthetic, traditional or older products?

The biggest is how to use them based on their mode of action, how to test them and integrate them into your farm. Most of the time, biologicals are tested alone against the best cocktail of chemicals at very high pest or disease pressures in very artificial situations. They may be very small plots, one branch of an almond tree or a 20-foot row, and that’s not how farmers use the product.

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