Marrone Bio Innovations Inc., the Davis-based maker of biologically based products to replace farm chemicals, announced a collaboration with a Canadian company whose platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to research vast amounts of data.
Marrone Bio’s (Nasdaq: MBII) collaboration with Vancouver, British Columbia-based Terramera Inc. is designed to speed up lab research and to collect vital information in field studies.
The collaboration will allow Marrone Bio to more quickly assay beneficial traits in microorganisms to more quickly develop products, and it will also allow the company to develop detailed biological information to determine the best ways to use products already in the field, said Amit Vasavada, senior vice president of research and development and technology for Marrone.
Terramera Inc. is a private company that has raised more than $96 million in venture capital investments since its founding in 2010, according to venture capital data service Crunchbase.
Terramera was formed to develop AI and machine learning to leverage the effectiveness of nonchemical fertilizers and pest management products in producing food crops. The company's platform is called Actigate.
Marrone is a pioneer in developing biological controls for agriculture that replace or reduce the need for chemical pest controls.
Marrone has already built a research engine to examine the possibilities of 18,000 microorganisms, but there is no humanly possible way to search all those organisms' traits. By using Terramera’s AI and machine learning algorithms, Marrone will be able to search more quickly, Vasavada said. That will help the company accelerate products from the lab to field testing.
The same platform can also be used to study sets of data submitted by farmers in the field to see how products perform in specific soils and under different rainfall, temperatures and times of the year.
“Their AI takes us to the next level in bioinformatics,” Vasavada said. “We can decipher what is the best way to use the products.”
The collaboration is also expected to increase the performance and consistency of Marrone’s existing products, including Regalia biofungicide, Stargus biofungicide, Venerate XC bioinsecticide and Grandevo WDG bioinsecticide.
“We are always looking for ways we can innovate and partner with companies whom share our commitment to creating new technologies which support sustainable agriculture and enhance our ability to develop original products that provide growers with increased efficacy and industry-leading return on investment,” said Marrone CEO Kevin Helash, in a news release.
The companies said field trails are planned for late summer and early fall on some of Marrone’s existing commercial products.
“We are excited to work with Marrone Bio to accelerate their proven crop protection products with Actigate and our digital platforms, both of which improve product performance in the field,” said Terramera CEO Karn Manhas, in a news release. “Collaborating with Marrone Bio Innovations, a recognized global leader in developing sustainable biopesticide solutions, advances Terramera’s goal of reducing the synthetic pesticide load in agriculture by 80%.”
Marrone reported revenue of $23.6 million in the first half of this year, up from revenue of $21.8 million the previous year. The company said the drought decreased planting in much of the West this year and reduced sales. Marrone lost $6.3 million through the first half, compared with a loss of $9.9 million in the first half of 2020.
