Howler biological fungicide headed to Europe, Middle East, Africa

BASF and AgBiome have signed an agreement to bring a new biological fungicide to the market in Europe, and key countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Developed by AgBiome, and marketed as Howler in the United States, the product offers several modes of action to control broad spectrum of soilborne and foliar diseases.

Under the agreement, BASF will support the further development and registration and will be the exclusive distributor in Europe, Middle East and Africa, according to the news release. Subject to successful registrations, first market introductions in selected countries are expected in 2024-2025.  Financial details of the agreement are not disclosed.

BASF’s Marco Moorfeld, vice president for market management in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia said in the news release that the product would broaden BASF’s offerings.

“We believe that the complementary combination of conventional crop protection and BioSolutions is the way forward for sustainable agriculture and we are convinced that strong partnerships in the industry are essential to bring more innovations to the market,” he said.

Howler, which debuted in 2017, is listed with the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as a fungicide. In the U.S., it is used on a variety of vegetable crops in addition to small fruit such as caneberries, strawberries and grapes. In 2018, AgBiome announced a deal to develop the product in Isreal. In 2019, AgBiome announced a deal with Sumitomo Corporation to release the product in Mexico.

The new biological fungicide is effective against diseases like Pythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and Botrytis, according ot the news release. It is based on the bacterium Pseudomonas chlororaphis – strain AFS009.

The fungicide will be made available for use in vegetables and ornamentals as well as for applications on turf such as golf courses. It can be applied effectively at every phase of vegetable production – from greenhouse to pre-plant until harvest. This makes it a valuable tool to complement conventional crop protection products as part of a comprehensive integrated pest management program.

“AgBiome is very pleased to be partnering with BASF to develop its newest highly efficacious biofungicide in Europe and certain adjacent markets in the Middle East and Africa,” Toni Bucci, AgBiome COO said in the news release. “BASF aligns with our goals to provide sustainable crop protection solutions, as we continue to see high growth potential for biological products in Europe.”