Since the early 2000s, the number of registered active substances to control pests has been constantly decreasing due to societal and regulatory pressure. The number of new active ingredients currently being developed worldwide is also decreasing. Meanwhile the emergence and development of new resistances amplify the reduction of solutions that can be used by farmers. The need for innovation is therefore crucial for the whole of agriculture, particularly in the area of biocontrol, which is considered to be one of the possible responses to changes in expected crop protection practices. Based on French regulation, products and agents of biocontrol include macro-organisms, micro-organisms, chemical mediators such as pheromones and kairomones and natural substances extracted from plants, animals or minerals. The French authorities have the will to encourage biocontrol thanks to incentive measures, in particular those whose toxicological and eco-toxicological profile is most favourable. They publish a list (“List of biocontrol products” [Memo 2018-205 on 03-15-2018]) of products, updated every two months, which contains 73 active substances and 416 commercial products. Only six usages are covered for the tobacco crop.

The International Biocontrol Manufacturers’ Association (IBMA) considers that 5 % of the crop protection agents’ market is taken up by biocontrol products and the ambition is to reach a two-digit growth in the coming years. If societal expectation and, even more, the regulatory pressure on conventional pesticides, represents a real engine for the development of biocontrol, three main obstacles are regularly identified: (i) efficacy, (ii) simplicity of implementation, (iii) and price. Experience shows that these hurdles can be overcome and lead to the development of solutions on several tens, or even hundreds of thousands, of hectares. There are three examples: anti-slug based on ferric phosphate, trichogrammes on corn, nonanoic acid on vine, potato and tobacco.