Connecting academia and industry: Advancing the use of entomopathogenic nematodes to tackle emerging challenges and opportunities in modern agriculture

Abstract

The collaboration among academia, industry, and government is crucial for scientific progress and innovation. Academia generates fundamental knowledge, which industry translates into sound applications, considering government policies. This partnership is vital to feed progress and constant development and address global challenges like climate change and food security. Sustainable crop protection is a topical theme, with efforts to reduce pesticide reliance and promote alternatives to chemical pest management, and it continues to grow and be accepted worldwide. In this respect, biopesticides such as entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) offer a promising solution for pest and disease management as an eco-friendly alternative. However, EPN continue to face adoption barriers due to regulatory, commercialization and basic and applied knowledge gaps. Thus, stronger collaborations are needed to unlock their full potential, as highlighted in the 2024 congress organized in La Rioja (Spain) to commemorate the 100 years since the discovery of the first EPN. This review examines the gap between academia and industry, suggesting strategies to bridge it, thereby promoting the advancement of EPN in 21st-century agriculture. Despite decades of research demonstrating their efficacy, EPN commercialization remains limited by production, formulation, and application challenges. Universities and government research agencies have driven fundamental innovation through the discovery of new EPN-bacteria partnerships in new regions of the world, which are helping us understand their distribution and habitant adaptations which are required for their registration and in establishing global regulations. Research conducted both in academia and the private sector (both big and small start-up companies) has and continues to play a key role in the characterization of EPN and in assessing their performance for their subsequent formulation, product optimization, and commercialization. These are fundamental steps to reach the ultimate goal, which is to provide growers with reliable products that are cost-effective and sustainable. In this review, we summarize key findings that have led to the commercialization and application of EPN, spanning from the characterization of EPN and their symbiotic bacteria to production, formulation, and the requirements for their registration. We also highlight critical knowledge gaps and opportunities for collaboration between academia, government agencies, and industry. Strengthening these partnerships will drive EPN adoption in agriculture, establishing them as a desirable biocontrol solution.