Ask The Expert: Rovensa Next Discusses Hybrid Crop Protection Solutions

Sara Monteiro, Head of Global R&D Biocontrol and Adjuvants at Rovensa Next, and Eric Ferre, Global Crop Technology and Product Scouting Manager, unpack the growing role of hybrid crop protection strategies and examine how these integrated approaches are poised to evolve in the years ahead.

AgriBusiness Global: Farmers are under increasing pressure to reduce environmental impact while maintaining productivity. Why is replacing conventional crop protection products with biological solutions not always a straightforward one-to-one substitution?

Sara Monteiro and Eric Ferre: Replacing a conventional crop protection product with a biological alternative is far more complex than swapping one solution for another. Biologicals can be highly effective, but their performance is more sensitive to pest pressure, environmental conditions, spray quality, and application timing. Many biological products have slower, less persistent, or more condition‑dependent modes of action than synthetic chemistry, so growers often mix several products to regain the level of control they are used to.

This practice increases operational complexity and the risk of incompatibility and shifts responsibility for performance and tank mix safety onto them. Replacing conventional crop protection with a biological alternative is not a simple switch because biologicals demand different agronomic practices and more precision and prevention. They also need to be integrated into comprehensive spraying programs. However, when implemented correctly, they deliver equivalent or superior outcomes, with clear sustainability and regulatory advantages.

Rovensa Next’s biosolutions hybrid line, The Fusion Line, combines orange oil, a botanical active ingredient with proven efficacy and a strong sustainability profile, with a second complementary active ingredient.

The first launch in the pipeline is  OROFUSION, which combines sulfur at 700 g/L with orange oil at 45 g/L in suspo-emulsion formulation, designed to improve stability, coverage, adhesion, and field performance. It’s been shown in field trials that biological-based solutions can support highly effective crop protection programs while reducing the overall chemical load applied per hectare.

This hybrid approach reduces complexity for growers while maximizing efficacy and sustainability in the field.

ABG: Your hybrid line proposes combining orange oil with complementary active ingredients in a ready-to-use formulation. How does this hybrid approach help farmers achieve more consistent efficacy under real field conditions?

SM and EF: Rovensa Next’s Fusion Line combines biocontrol solutions with complementary, well-established active ingredients in a single, ready-to-use formulation to deliver more consistent efficacy and reliable performance in variable field conditions. Orange oil is an excellent option for this type of approach as it provides immediate physical action and enhances coverage and penetration of the partner active ingredient. The dual mode of action in the products broadens the environmental performance window, improves coverage and deposition, and reduces the risk of efficacy gaps ensuring stable, reliable results for growers across different crops and application timings.

A key practical advantage of OROFUSION is that the formulation remains homogeneous after dilution for more than 24 hours and shows no phase separation during storage, helping growers achieve more predictable tank performance and application quality.

ABG: Many farmers today mix different products themselves to reach the level of control they need. What are the formulation and practical advantages of delivering these combinations in a preformulated solution?

SM and EF: Upstream formulation development guarantees compatibility, stability, and an optimal ratio between active ingredients before the product reaches the farm. This eliminates the risks associated with tank‑mixing products that are not designed to work together and ensures that the biological components remain viable and effective. From a practical standpoint, using a preformulated hybrid solution means fewer products to store, handle, and dose, simplifying operations and reducing the potential for errors.

ABG: Looking ahead, how do you see hybrid biosolutions evolving over the next decade as the industry moves toward more sustainable and resilient crop protection strategies?

SM and EF: Regulatory pressure on conventional active ingredients will continue to intensify, and growers will need solutions that maintain efficacy while reducing chemical inputs.

At the same time, formulation technologies will continue to evolve, making fusion products, especially those based on orange oil, more stable, effective, and easier to use than grower-made mixtures. Finally, digital and precision agriculture will optimize application timing and conditions.

Looking ahead, this type of innovation will become increasingly common as more advanced biological technologies enter the market and formulation science continues to evolve. As growers move toward simpler, more sustainable programs, hybrid biosolutions such as OROFUSION are set to become mainstream tools in modern crop protection.