Bioline obtains bronze medal at SIVAL Innovation 2021

After winning a bronze SIVAL in 2020 with PREDAFIX^®, a solution to facilitate the installation of predatory mites, this year, the innovative nature of the T-Protect^® delivery system has allowed Bioline Agrosciences to obtain another bronze medal at this major event.

The use of auxiliary insects is key in the implementation of biological control. However, in certain types of crops or at certain stages of their development, the management of these macro-organisms can be difficult or even impossible. Therefore, the development of innovative delivery systems is essential to ensure the deployment of biological control on a large scale and in a maximum of different crops.

In some cases, the auxiliary insect release systems, and in particular the innovative trichogramma release systems, must be placed in the soil to ensure good distribution in the crop. However, in midsummer, these release systems can be exposed directly to the sun and also to the heat that radiates from the soil, reaching temperatures that can be lethal to auxiliary insects in just a few minutes. Furthermore, in the case of some crops with poor foliar development or in the case of early application of protection solutions, the leaves may insufficiently protect the soil from the sun.

For this reason, the Bioline Agrosciences R&D department has developed the T-PROTECT^® technology, a release system called a « diffuser », which consists of a fully biodegradable protective cover that, in turn, acts as a refrigeration system.

These two properties provide optimal protection for the auxiliary insect. On the one hand, the diffuser ensures a gradual release of insects and is the first barrier of protection against heat, humidity, rain, and predatory insects, such as ants. The second level of protection is the cover. This case is an ingenious cardboard system that protects the diffuser from both direct sunlight and radiation from the ground, establishing a certain distance between the diffuser and the ground, so that air can easily circulate to cool it effectively.

T-Protect® technology ensures a level of efficiency equivalent to traditional release systems even in difficult sun situations, but with clear direct benefits:

• Extension of the use of biological control solutions to other crops.
• Possibility of using these solutions at the beginning of the season for preventive actions.
• Possibility of increasing the performance of the site, mechanizing the application of biological control solutions.
• Provision of a delayed release technology by controlling the emergence of the parasitoid in several stages. This allows the action to be prolonged, providing effective control during all flights and / or generations of the target pest.

With 700 exhibitors and 26,000 professional visitors a year in Angers, SIVAL is the trade fair in France that presents a complete offer of equipment and services for all plant productions: arboriculture, vegetable crops, seeds, viticulture, horticulture, medicinal and aromatic plants.