Wageningen Scientists May Have Found the Key to Making Natural Pesticides Work Reliably
Wageningen, Wednesday, 10 June 2026.
A plant’s own genes may determine whether natural crop protection agents succeed or fail — a finding that could transform how Dutch farmers reduce their dependence on chemicals.
An Agritech Breakthrough in the Making
This story sits firmly in the domain of agritech — specifically at the crossroads of plant breeding science and sustainable agriculture. The research in question was conducted by PhD candidate Mohammadhadi Sobhani and emeritus professor of Plant Breeding Richard Visser, both affiliated with Wageningen University & Research (WUR), based in Wageningen, the Netherlands [1]. Their findings were published in the journal Trends Open, a publication of Cell Press [1]. The core proposition is deceptively simple but scientifically significant: the reason biological crop protection agents — known as ‘biologicals’ — so often underperform in real-world farming conditions may not be the biologicals themselves, but rather the genetic makeup of the plants they are applied to [1].
What Are Biologicals, and Why Do They Keep Falling Short?
Biologicals are natural crop protection agents derived from microorganisms, plants, or other biological sources, and they represent one of agriculture’s most promising tools for reducing reliance on synthetic chemical pesticides [GPT]. In theory, they offer a cleaner, more sustainable path forward. In practice, however, their effectiveness has proven frustratingly inconsistent [1]. According to the WUR research, four key factors determine how well a biological works: the type of biological agent used, the surrounding environment, the type of plant stress being addressed, and — critically — the genetic composition of the plant itself [1]. Of these four factors, the roles of genetics and environment have been the least studied to date [1]. As Sobhani explained in statements connected to the research, biologicals are frequently tested on only a single variety of a crop, such as one potato or tomato cultivar, which leads to highly variable results in yield and stress management across different growing conditions [1].
The Genetic Variable That Changes Everything
What makes this research particularly impactful is its direct challenge to a long-held assumption in agricultural science: that if a biological agent works on one crop variety, it should work broadly. Sobhani was direct on this point, noting that the effectiveness of biologicals can vary from negative to positive depending on the specific plant variety [1]. While some earlier studies have suggested that genetic composition plays a role, those studies examined only a small number of genotypes — too few, in Sobhani’s assessment, to generate meaningful, actionable knowledge [1]. The research team at WUR is now preparing to move from theory to experiment. Plans are underway to test the performance of two biologicals across 20 to 30 different potato genotypes, a scale of genetic diversity that has not previously been applied to this question [1]. The potato was chosen deliberately: it has an exceptionally diverse genetic background, making it ideal for genetic research, and it is one of the world’s most important food crops [1].
Why Potato? The Chemical Dependency Problem
The choice of potato as the primary research subject is also a matter of urgent agricultural economics. Potato cultivation in the Netherlands is currently responsible for approximately half of the total consumption of chemical crop protection agents used across the entire country [1]. That figure alone underscores why finding a reliable alternative to synthetic pesticides in potato farming would be transformative — both environmentally and commercially. As Sobhani articulated in the research context, if scientists can establish to what extent genetic composition influences the effectiveness of biologicals, that knowledge could make a meaningful contribution toward potato cultivation with significantly reduced dependence on chemicals — including in organic production environments [1]. The implications extend well beyond the Netherlands, given that the potato is a globally critical food crop [1].
Breeding for Receptivity: How the Science Would Work
Emeritus professor Richard Visser offered a clear explanation of the scientific mechanism the team hopes to unlock. Each crop variety carries different properties and resistance genes against various diseases and pests [1]. The research challenge is to determine whether the effectiveness of a biological agent stems from the biological nature of the product itself, or from the presence or absence of certain resistance genes within a given plant variety [1]. In the initial phase, the researchers hope to identify genes or biological processes that cause a plant to perform better — or worse — after the application of a biological agent [1]. Once identified, this knowledge would give plant breeders a precise tool: the ability to either avoid or deliberately introduce specific genes when developing new crop varieties, effectively breeding plants that are genetically predisposed to respond well to biological protection agents [1].
Industry Engagement and the Road Ahead
Visser was candid about the current state of the research, acknowledging that the work is still in its early stages [1]. Nevertheless, the WUR team has made a strategic decision to begin engaging the broader agricultural industry now, rather than waiting for more mature results. The rationale is pragmatic: plant breeders hold valuable expertise that is directly relevant even at this early stage of research, and they are well positioned to provide instructive and critical feedback [1]. Several breeding companies have already indicated their willingness to exchange ideas with the WUR team in the period ahead [1]. Looking further forward, Visser has expressed plans to actively involve both breeding companies and producers of biologicals in the research over the coming years [1]. For an industry where reducing chemical inputs is both a regulatory imperative and a growing commercial differentiator, the prospect of crops purpose-bred to work synergistically with natural protection agents represents a genuinely new direction — one that Wageningen, as a global hub of horticultural innovation, is uniquely positioned to lead [GPT].