Biological Products: Understanding their role, value and application in farming systems

Biological inputs are moving quickly from niche interest to mainstream tool, offering growers new ways to enhance soil function, crop resilience and long-term productivity. Yet with more products arriving on the market each year, ranging from microbial inoculants to plant-derived extracts, the challenge is working out which ones genuinely deliver value.

A new article by Dr Simon Speirs (New Edge Microbials) breaks down the rapidly expanding biologicals space. It explains how the APVMA classifies these products, why regulation differs between biocontrols and plant-growth products, and what growers should look for when assessing claims. The piece also explores why biologicals behave differently from synthetic inputs, how realistic performance benchmarks should be set, and why storage, handling and application protocols make or break field performance.

From issue 18 of PotatoLink magazine.