Agrochemicals plant biotechnology

The winners will have to be strong in both traditional crop protection and plant biotechnology, and will be able to combine both skills effectively. They wiU have operational excellence in traditional agrochemicals and will use the returns from the traditional business to invest in plant biotechnology as a medium term growth platform. 

Without strengths in plant biotechnology, pure traditional agrochemicals players will have to refocus on niche segments, but will have only limited opportunities for growth. 

Leaders in plant biotechnology only, however, with a weak position in crop protection, should focus only on the output characteristics, for such companies are not likely to be able to take advantage of the shift in agrochemical sales. As the traditional business is weak, such companies face high risks from delayed consumer acceptance. 

Plant biotechnology and the agriculture/feed/food market, which implies occupying a strong position in genetically modified crops (seed) for feed and food and in agrochemicals. 

Recent deals in the field of agrochemicals - mainly made between 1997 and 1999 - have demonstrated that it is financially more effective to make a large number of early corporate venture investments in high risk plant biotechnology businesses, for example, than it is to acquire a successful startup at a later phase. The price premiums that have to be paid in the later phase are much higher than the cost of placing many bets widely at an earlier stage. 

Wiley recognized the opportunity for the introduction of a series of books within the theme Agrochemicals and Plant Protection with a wide scope that includes chemistry, biology and biotechnology in the broadest sense. This series is effectively a replacement for the successful Progress in Pesticide Biochemistry and Toxicology , edited by Hutson and Roberts, which has run to nine volumes. In addition, it complements the international journals Pesticide Science and Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry. 

The present volume is based on the proceedings of the international conference entitled Biodiversity A Source of New Leads for the Pharmaceutical and Agrochemical Industries held at the University of St. Andrews in.September 1999. This was organised by the Biotechnology Group of the Industrial Division of The Royal Society of Chemistry, as was the preceding meeting on Phytochemical Diversity held at the University of Sussex in 1996. Whereas the primary topic of the earlier conference was industrially useful plant products, the current volume is of wider scope and includes substances derived from microbial, marine and plant sources. 

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