Spanish Symborg achieves European approval of Beauveria bassiana 203 fungus for bioinsecticide use against pests

The European Commission has included Symborg's Beauveria bassiana 203 de Symborg en la lista de las sustancias activas aprobadas para su uso en formulación de productos fitosanitarios. Con esta aprobación, el hongo especificado puede formar parte de los “ingredientes” autorizados por la autoridad panregional para su inclusión en nuevos productos agrícolas. Se trata de un hito para la compañía pues, según datos de la Asociación Empresarial Para La Protección De Las Plantas (AELA), de cada 140.000 sustancias activas estudiadas sólo una logra pasar del laboratorio al campo, en un proceso que dura unos 11 años.

“La aparición de soluciones de biocontrol a base de Beauveria bassiana 203 permitirá a los agricultores el acceso a una herramienta eficaz, segura y sostenible, alineada con los objetivos de la estrategia europea De la Granja a la Mesa”, explica Jesús Juárez, socio fundador y CEO de Symborg.

The Beauveria bassiana 203 strain has shown great efficacy against pests of agricultural interest, also highlighting its intrinsic conditions, as it is very tolerant to adverse environmental conditions having been isolated in extreme conditions. Likewise, due to its mode of action, it is very difficult for it to generate resistance in insect populations.  

The Beauveria bassiana 203 fungus and its approval as an active ingredient with insecticidal effect are the result of more than a decade of research. It began in 2005, when researcher Berenice Güerri discovered this microorganism for the control of the red palm weevil during her doctoral thesis. In 2010 the startup Glen Biotech was founded as a spin-off of the University of Alicante, and in January 2022 the biotech company Symborg announced its acquisition to boost product development and bring it to farmers around the world.

Based in Murcia, Spain, Symborg is a biotechnology company in the agricultural sector that seeks to maximize crop yields with minimal resources, contributing to a more sustainable agriculture. Symborg develops, manufactures and markets biostimulants, biofertilizers and biocontrol solutions for all types of crops and agricultural systems. It has a commercial presence in more than 50 countries and 9 subsidiaries in Spain and Portugal, France, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Turkey and China.