A new report says biological nematicides are the quickest growing control method over the last six years. This news release from consulting and research firm Kline says its Nematicide Market: Global Market Analysis and Opportunities report shows the market has grown nearly 20 percent, with most of the growth in field crops and biological products occurring in the United States.

The third edition of Kline’s Specialty Pesticides research reports that sales of nematicides total just over $1 billion in 2014 and are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.7% in the next 10 years to reach $1.3 billion in 2024. Consuming over 70% of the global market, the three leading country markets are the United States, Brazil, and Japan. Specialty crops, field crops, and vegetables are the largest crop segments, each containing sales of over $250 million. Dow AgroSciences and the combination of Monsanto and Bayer marketing Bayer’s Votivo—a biological nematicide—are the two leading companies in the global nematicides market in 2014.

Nematicide seed treatments are expected to continue to be used on a spectrum of field crops which ties in with the trend to protect higher value seeds that are engineered with new traits. In high value produce crops, the desire to analyze the need for insect, weed, and disease protection will result in innovative solutions. Biological nematicides have grown tenfold during recent years, driven by the robust performance of Bacillus firmus. This strain of bacteria is labeled for seed treatment of corn, cotton, soybeans, and sugarbeets, accounting for over 80% of the biological nematicide sales.

Kline officials say the relatively new nematicidal treatments of corn and soybeans have caused a fundamental change that has blended nematicides and seed treatment, formerly separate segments, and provided major growth and a new awareness of seed treatment as a standalone segment.