Photosensitizers are expected to help control "soft-bodied" insects such as aphids, Loveland's Francisco Manzano says.

Nutrien buys into biocontrol

How did the seller — oil company Suncor — wind up in crop pest control?

Glacier FarmMedia — Photodynamic inactivation is not a phrase used in everyday conversation, but it could become an effective control of insect and fungal pests in agriculture. “Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) of micro-organisms using natural photosensitizers has shown itself to be a powerful tool to combat bacteria and fungi (in crops),” says a 2019 paper published […] Read more


Photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms/File

Global crop yields have not kept up with increasing demand 

Sluggish production blamed on adverse weather conditions and high input costs that lead to reduced fertilizer use

The global stocks-to-use ratio for the major crops, excluding China, has been trending down since 2018, Jason Newton, Nutrien’s chief economist, told delegates attending the 24th International Farm Management Association Congress in Saskatoon.