Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia
Bionema Group, a UK-based biological crop protection technology company, is introducing two of its advanced formulation and delivery platforms, Adhesulex™ and Incapsulex®, to the Australian agricultural market, seeking commercial partnerships with distributors, growers, agricultural input companies and investors.
Bionema Introduces Advanced Biological Crop Protection Technologies to Australia
The company is exhibiting at the Australian National Field Days, 22–23 October, from the Farmers2Founders booth (stands 8–9) in the Trevor Elliott Pavilion, AgTech Area, as part of the Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme.
Founded in 2012, Bionema develops biological insecticides, molluscicides, herbicides and advanced technologies designed to improve their field performance. In 2021, Syngenta acquired two of Bionema’s bioinsecticide products, demonstrating the commercial potential of its research and innovation.
Bionema’s immediate focus in Australia is on two complementary technology platforms that address fundamental challenges in crop protection: delivering active ingredients effectively to their targets and protecting living biological agents from environmental stresses.
Adhesulex™: Improving application performance and water efficiency
Adhesulex™ is Bionema’s biocompatible polymer surfactant technology platform, developed to improve spray spreading, adhesion, coverage and retention.
The technology helps crop protection products remain on treated surfaces, while selected formulations improve soil wetting and the movement of water and agricultural inputs towards the root zone.
The portfolio includes Soil-Jet®, Permeate® and Boost-Bio®, developed for different agricultural application requirements.
In previous testing, Soil-Jet® applied with 75% of normal irrigation performed close to full irrigation under the tested conditions, highlighting its potential relevance to water management in agricultural and horticultural production.
For Australian vineyard, orchard and horticultural growers, Adhesulex™ offers an opportunity to evaluate improvements in spray application, product retention, water efficiency and the effectiveness of existing crop protection programmes.
Incapsulex®: Protecting biological agents and improving pest control
Incapsulex® is Bionema’s advanced microencapsulation technology, designed to protect biological active ingredients from environmental stresses and improve their delivery to target pests.
Biological agents such as insect-pathogenic fungi can be sensitive to sunlight, heat and dehydration, potentially affecting their field performance.
Incapsulex® provides a formulation approach intended to protect these organisms and improve their effectiveness under commercial application conditions.
Bionema has generated encouraging field evidence supporting the value of advanced formulation.
UK commercial strawberry trials
An Incapsulex®-formulated biological treatment achieved 97.5% control of western flower thrips, compared with 58% control for the same biological active without formulation.
This 39.5-percentage-point improvement shows how formulation can significantly influence the efficacy of the same biological active ingredient under the tested conditions.
Western flower thrips is one of the most serious pests reported by the Australian growers Bionema has met during its visit.
Nigerian pepper trials
In pepper trials in Nigeria, an Incapsulex®-formulated biological treatment produced a reported 207% increase in fruit yield compared with untreated plants.
These results indicate the potential value of improved biological delivery, although performance will depend on the crop, pest, environmental conditions and treatment programme.
Bionema is seeking Australian commercial growers and industry partners to conduct locally relevant evaluations and establish the potential of these technologies under Australian production conditions.
Australian growers are looking for alternatives to chemicals
During the Innovate UK programme in New South Wales, Bionema’s Founder and CEO, Dr Minshad Ansari, has met vineyard and apple orchard growers, agronomists and agricultural industry representatives to understand the challenges facing Australian crop production.
Growers identified western flower thrips, woolly aphid, caterpillars and diseases such as powdery mildew as their biggest problems, with woolly aphid a serious issue in apple orchards. Most rely on chemical insecticides and fungicides and use only one or two biological products. Despite decades of chemical use, these pests and diseases remain serious challenges, with increasing concerns about pesticide resistance and the need for additional effective control options.
Biologicals offer a different approach. Some biological control agents have multiple modes of action, which can help reduce the risk of resistance development when used appropriately within integrated pest management programmes.
Dr Ansari said:
“Over the past few days, I have spoken directly with vineyard and apple orchard growers here in Australia. Most are using only one or two biological products, but they are very eager to use more and open to evaluating new technologies through commercial trials.
Their biggest problems include western flower thrips, woolly aphid, caterpillars and diseases such as powdery mildew. Growers have relied on chemical insecticides and fungicides for decades, yet these problems persist. Growers are increasingly concerned about the limitations of existing chemical treatments and are actively looking for effective biological alternatives.
That is a genuine commercial opportunity for Bionema. Growers do not simply want to hear about new technologies. They want to see how they perform under their own growing conditions, and several have expressed interest in hosting trials.
For growers supplying domestic and export markets, effective pest management must go hand in hand with high-quality produce and meeting pesticide-residue requirements. Where effective biological alternatives are available, they can help growers reduce reliance on chemical inputs, manage residue risks and protect market access.
The commercial opportunity is equally important. Better crop protection, higher marketable yields, improved export quality and more efficient use of agricultural inputs can contribute directly to grower profitability. Ultimately, growers need technologies that put more money in their pockets.
Our immediate priority is to introduce Adhesulex™ and Incapsulex®, two technologies that can improve how crop protection products are delivered and how biological agents perform in the field.
Looking further ahead, we see opportunities to introduce our wider pipeline of biological insecticides, molluscicides and herbicides through suitable Australian distribution, development and regulatory partnerships.
We want to build relationships with growers and commercial partners who share our objective of making biological crop protection more effective, practical and accessible.”
Supporting crop quality and export-market requirements
Australian growers compete in domestic and international markets where crop quality, production costs and pesticide-residue compliance influence commercial success. The Australian Government’s National Residue Survey monitors pesticide residues in agricultural products to support access to these markets.
Bionema believes that biological crop protection, combined with improved delivery technologies, can give growers additional tools to manage pest pressure, support crop quality and reduce reliance on conventional chemical treatments. These benefits will need to be confirmed through crop-specific commercial trials and appropriate regulatory pathways.
A broader pipeline for Australian agriculture
Beyond its two formulation and delivery platforms, Bionema is developing a portfolio of biological crop protection products addressing economically important agricultural problems.
These include microbial insecticides targeting insect pests such as thrips, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars and weevils, biological molluscicides for slug and snail management, and biological herbicides for weed control.
The products are at different stages of research, development and regulatory readiness.
Bionema sees opportunities for Australian industry partners to participate in technology evaluation, product development, regulatory registration, licensing, local manufacturing and commercialisation.
The company believes that combining advanced formulation technologies with its biological crop protection pipeline can create a more comprehensive offering for Australian agriculture.
Bionema seeks four types of Australian partnerships
Distributors and commercial partners
Bionema is seeking agricultural input distributors and specialist crop protection companies interested in adding suitable technologies and products to their Australian portfolios, subject to regulatory requirements.
Commercial growers and agronomists
The company welcomes discussions with vineyard operators, orchard growers, commercial horticultural businesses and other agricultural producers interested in hosting field evaluations.
Strategic industry partners
Bionema is seeking established crop protection and agricultural technology companies interested in co-investment, technology licensing, regulatory registration and commercialisation of its biological insecticide, molluscicide and herbicide pipeline.
Investors and international partners
The company is also engaging investors interested in supporting the international expansion, regulatory development, manufacturing scale-up and commercial deployment of its biological crop protection portfolio.
Meet Bionema at Australian National Field Days
Dr Ansari is attending the Australian National Field Days on 22 and 23 October 2026, exhibiting from the Farmers2Founders booth (stands 8–9), Trevor Elliott Pavilion, AgTech Area, at Borenore, 15 km west of Orange, New South Wales.
Visitors are welcome to come and see us at the stand on 22 and 23 October, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Growers, distributors, agricultural businesses, strategic partners and investors can also arrange a meeting in advance.
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