Biological Seed Treatment Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Crop Type (Corn, Wheat, Soybean, Others), By Type (Microbials, Botanical, Others), By Function (Seed Enhancement {Biofertilizers, Biostimulants}, Seed Protection {Bioinsecticides, Biofungicides}Others) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

In recent years, the biological seed treatment market has significantly evolved. The use of natural treatment methods is perceived as an environment-friendly option for treating seeds. The growing demand for healthier and high-quality agricultural products is driving the global market of biological seed treatment. 

Biological seed treatment contains active ingredients, including microbes such as fungi, bacteria, plane extracts, algae extracts, and others. They are available in both liquid and powder form. Biological seed treatment aims to ensure that an even coat of the products is applied on the surface of the seeds.

There are three widely used methods to implement biological seed treatment: seed dressing, seed coating, and seed pelleting. The commonly used procedure is seed dressing, where a dry formulation or liquid formulation is provided on the surface of the seed. This process is used in both industrial as well as farm crops. Advanced technology can also be used for applying biological seed treatment to ensure even coating on the seeds.  

Biological seed treatment helps the crops become more vigorous and grow better as it acts as a biostimulant on crops. They also help enhance crop yields as they minimize biotic stress and boost the immune system to fight against plant pathogens. The use of biological seed treatment helps increase the nutrient uptake and availability of plant nutrients in the roots of the plants. It also helps the micro-organism to colonize roots which protects the roost of the plants. The use of biological seed treatment reduces the dependency on agrochemicals, thus reducing the exposure to chemicals and reducing the impact on the environment. All these factors act as major drivers boosting the growth of biological seed treatment globally.

The use of chemical seed treatment negatively impacts the environment as it seriously affects the pollinators and is toxic to the honeybees. As active organisms such as microbes are used for the seed treatment, they are safe, and hence they don't negatively affect the growth of the biological seed treatment globally.

Although biological seed treatment is environment friendly, the duration of protection is comparatively limited than chemical seed treatment. Additionally, the regulations also vary from one country to another thus creating difficulty for the producers to launch the product. Therefore, the factors mentioned above negatively affect the growth of the global biological seed treatment market.

Key Players Covered:

The key players of the global biological seed treatment market are BASF SE, Bayer AG, Novozymes A/S, and Syngenta Group. Other key players include Corteva Agriscience,  Valent BioSciences, Verdesian Life Sciences, Plant Health Care, Precision Laboratories, Koppert Biological Systems, and Italpollina.

Among the type, the microbials segment dominated the global biological seed treatment market. The dominance of the microbial segment can be attributed to its high use in biofertilizers and biopesticides. In addition, the demand for microbial-based seed treatment products is increasing for application in field crops such as soybean and corn.

Biological seed treatments help ensure that the products are applied uniformly on the surface of the seeds and can be used in multiple cops to control pest attacks and ensure that the seeds' health is maintained. Also, the biological seed treatment processes ensure that the seeds can resist attack from both soil-borne pathogens and insects.

As consumer demand for organic food products increases, the use of cost-effective biological seed treatment solutions on these crops is rapidly growing. Several companies are developing new product formulations aimed at catering to the demands of this specific target market. For instance, Albaugh's BioST VPH  Biostimultants, BioST Nematicide, will be launched in the market once it receives registration from European Protecting Agency (EPA).

Regional Analysis:

The market for biological seed treatment in North America is expected to grow in recent years with the increasing demand for high-quality agricultural produce in the market. Additionally, there is a demand for organic products that do not employ chemical seed treatment, which also drives the demand for the product in the region. 

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In 2020, Koppert Biological Systems acquired Geocom, which use technology such as geoprocessing to apply biological agents on the crops. This acquisition helps the Koppert Biological Systems to improve the efficiency of the products and increase the bioprotection of the crops.