Introduction
The market is moderately consolidated at the level of registered, branded products and fragmented at the level of regional suppliers. A small number of multinational crop protection companies own or license the most widely registered strains, including MBI 600 (BASF), QST 713 (Bayer), FZB24 (Syngenta and Novonesis) and D747 (Mitsui & Co. through Certis, originated by Kumiai Chemical), and these companies benefit from global distribution and extensive registration portfolios. In Latin America and Asia, a larger number of domestic producers compete with locally registered strains; in Brazil, the MAPA register lists numerous B. amyloliquefaciens products from domestic companies under a wide range of trade names.
Competition is based on strain performance and characterisation, breadth of crop registrations, formulation quality, integration with chemical portfolios, distribution reach and price. Recent competitive activity has centred on seed-treatment registrations, combination products, portfolio acquisitions and investment in biologicals manufacturing.
Key Player Positioning
Leaders are multinational companies with proprietary or exclusively licensed strains, multi-country registrations and global distribution: BASF, Bayer, Syngenta and Mitsui & Co. (through Certis Biologicals and Certis Belchim). Challengers include FMC, which uses Bacillus strains in combination products for row crops, and Novonesis, which develops and manufactures strains for partners. Niche players include Kumiai Chemical as strain originator and domestic supplier in Japan, Pro Farm Group with its F727-based Stargus, Lallemand Plant Care, the Brazilian producer Vittia, and the Bacillus fermentation specialist ABiTEP.
BASF SE: BASF's Agricultural Solutions segment markets biological and chemical crop protection products. Its B. amyloliquefaciens portfolio is built on strain MBI 600, sold as the foliar biofungicide Serifel and the seed treatment Integral Pro. BASF extends registrations of the same strain to new countries and crops, such as the 2022 launch of Serifel in Argentina and the 2025 French registration of Integral Pro for sunflower, and sells biologicals alongside its chemical fungicide range.
Bayer AG: Bayer's Crop Science division owns strain QST 713, marketed under the Serenade brand in foliar, soil and other formats. The strain is regulated as B. amyloliquefaciens in the EU, the U.K. and Australia, while the U.S. label refers to B. subtilis. The EU renewed approval of QST 713 in 2023, and Bayer positions Serenade products within integrated programmes alongside its chemical fungicides.
Syngenta Group: Syngenta markets Taegro, based on strain FZB24 and manufactured by Novonesis, through Syngenta Biologicals. The company has stated an ambition to lead in agricultural biologicals and is building internal capability through the acquisition of Novartis's strain and natural-compound repository in February 2025 and a biologicals plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina, opened in 2025.
Mitsui & Co. (Certis Biologicals and Certis Belchim): Mitsui's agricultural subsidiaries commercialise strain D747, licensed from Kumiai Chemical, worldwide. Certis Biologicals in the U.S. markets Double Nickel products, Certis Belchim (formed in 2022 from Certis Europe and Belchim Crop Protection) sells Amylo-X and Toltek in Europe, and Mitsui's Brazilian unit holds the Amylo-X SL registration. Certis has extended D747 into cereal seed treatment and acquired AgBiome's fungicide products in 2024.
FMC Corporation: FMC combines biological and chemical actives in single products for row crops. Its Ethos XB and Ethos 3D products pair bifenthrin with B. amyloliquefaciens strain D747, and Ethos Elite LFR, launched in 2023, uses its proprietary B. velezensis strain RTI301. In February 2026, FMC began exploring strategic options, including a possible sale of the company.
Novonesis A/S: Novonesis was formed in January 2024 through the combination of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen. It acts as a strain developer and manufacturer, producing strain FZB24 for Syngenta's Taegro, and reaches growers through partners' distribution networks, including an agreement for FMC to distribute selected Novonesis biosolutions in Canada.
Kumiai Chemical Industry: Kumiai isolated strain D747 and has marketed it in Japan under the Ecoshot brand. It licensed the strain to Certis in the U.S., which made D747 the basis of a global product family distributed through the Mitsui network.
Pro Farm Group: Pro Farm Group, formerly Marrone Bio Innovations, markets Stargus, a liquid biofungicide based on strain F727, which Health Canada registered in January 2023. Bioceres completed its merger with Marrone Bio in July 2022, and in January 2026 PFG Holding Corp acquired the business's assets through a foreclosure auction.
Lallemand Plant Care: Lallemand Plant Care, part of the privately held Lallemand group, sells microbial inoculants and biocontrol products. It uses B. amyloliquefaciens strain IT45 in the root inoculant RISE P, and its Brazilian unit holds the registration for Lalstop I32 SC.
Vittia S.A.: Vittia is a listed Brazilian producer of biological inputs and specialty fertilisers. Its B. amyloliquefaciens strain BV03 is registered for nematode and disease control in soil and seed treatment and is sold under multiple brand names through partners, a model suited to Brazil's large soybean market.
ABiTEP GmbH: ABiTEP, part of the Andermatt Group, is a Berlin-based specialist in Bacillus fermentation. It produces products based on strain FZB42, now classified as B. velezensis, including RhizoVital 42, sold in Europe and through distributors in markets such as Australia.
Threat of New Entrants: Medium
Strain-specific registration dossiers and multi-year approval timelines create meaningful entry barriers in regulated markets.
Fermentation technology is widely available, which allows regional producers to enter local markets, particularly in Latin America and Asia.
Established distribution relationships and field trial data favour incumbents.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Low
Fermentation media and formulation inputs are largely commodity materials available from many suppliers.
Most leading companies own or exclusively license their strains, limiting dependence on external strain suppliers.
Contract fermentation capacity is available, although specialised capacity can be tight in periods of strong demand.
Bargaining Power of Buyers: Medium
Large distributors, cooperatives and seed companies purchase significant volumes and can negotiate on price.
Growers can choose from several Bacillus products and other biologicals, increasing price sensitivity.
Registered, well-documented products with proven performance retain pricing power in high-value crops.
Threat of Substitutes: High
Chemical fungicides remain the main alternative and are often cheaper and faster-acting.
Other biologicals, including B. subtilis, B. pumilus, Trichoderma and Pseudomonas products, compete for the same uses.
In Brazil, on-farm multiplied Bacillus cultures are a low-cost substitute for registered products.
Competitive Rivalry: High
Leading crop protection companies compete with their own proprietary strains across overlapping crops and regions.
A large number of regional registrants, especially in Brazil, increases price competition.
Competition increasingly centres on new registrations, seed-treatment formats and combination products.
Threat of New Entrants: Medium; Registration barriers offset by accessible fermentation technology.
Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Low; Commodity inputs and strain ownership by producers.
Bargaining Power of Buyers: Medium; Concentrated distribution and multiple product choices.
Threat of Substitutes: High; Chemical fungicides, other biologicals and on-farm cultures.
Competitive Rivalry: High; Multinational and regional suppliers competing on registrations and price.
