About Me
Dr Marcus E Marvin
I am passionate about working together to develop innovative biotech solutions that promote sustainable agriculture and enhance global food security, with the goal of creating a healthier, cleaner, and safer world. As a Senior Field Agronomist with twelve years of experience leading multinational projects, I bring extensive expertise in product evaluation spanning research, development, registration, and commercial applications to bring your biological solution to market. Having a proven track record of managing extensive biological field studies, boosting trial success rates and equipped with strong project management skills, I oversee initial concepts through to successful completion. Driven by collaboration and combining deep technical knowledge with logistics, meticulous record keeping, inspection and effective communication, I can convey complex information and lead cross-functional teams toward shared objectives.
Our Bespoke Approach
At AgroTrials Consulting, we pride ourselves on our bespoke approach, ensuring that every element of our service is meticulously tailored to your unique requirements. Whether your project demands support at the research and development stage or is focused on registration, our commitment lies in delivering a thorough and meaningful data package to underpin the progress of your project. If your project demands running trials with commercial partners, we have an extensive network across Europe to match your needs. Be it for biofertiliser, biostimulant, or biocontrol activities, you can rely on our expertise to guide your biological product from its initial concept all the way through to completion. Our services are designed to offer you the relevant support at every stage, providing clarity and confidence as your product advances through its development lifecycle. We place particular emphasis on conducting field studies that are meticulously planned and executed. If necessary, each study is designed with the appropriate level of statistical power, ensuring that the results produced are robust, reliable, and provide the strongest possible foundation for your decision-making. Our rigorous methodology maximises the likelihood of your project achieving its objectives and progressing successfully to the next stage.
Protocol Alignment, Field Trial Tender & Expertise
We take great care to ensure that our trial protocols are precisely aligned with your expectations. The field experimental work can be tendered to contract research organisations, distributors, or farmers and we pay close attention to matching the expertise of their staff with the specific requirements of your project. By doing so, we ensure that the right skills are brought to your project, whilst always considering your budgetary needs.
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To foster clarity and collaboration, we develop detailed protocol guides that guarantee all partners are thoroughly in tune with the project objectives. By establishing clear and structured guidelines, we ensure that everyone involved is aware of the study’s aims and expectations. This approach promotes consistency and effective collaboration throughout the entire field study process.
Field Trial Monitoring & Communication
Your field trials will be subject to vigilant and continuous oversight throughout the year. We are committed to providing you with clear and concise updates, ensuring that you are consistently kept abreast of progress and receive critical assessments at every significant milestone. Our approach to communication is straightforward, designed to keep you fully informed at all times without introducing unnecessary complexity.
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As an integral part of our comprehensive service, we include field trial visits. These visits are complemented by straightforward yet thorough documentation, offering detailed insights into the current status of your trials. Depending on your preference, these visits and inspections can be organised jointly with you, facilitating direct collaboration, or conducted independently ourselves, ensuring flexibility and convenience to suit your needs.
Data Analysis
Upon completion of your field trials, we conduct a thorough and rigorous statistical analysis of the collated results. Each dataset undergoes careful scrutiny, with any outlier data points meticulously identified and excluded to ensure only the most representative and accurate results are considered. This meticulous approach strengthens the reliability of the data, providing a solid and scientifically robust foundation for subsequent decision-making. By refining the dataset in this way, we maximise the potential for drawing meaningful and defensible conclusions from each study.
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Following the analysis, you will receive a comprehensive summary report that details every stage of the field study, as well as the outcomes achieved. This report is structured to deliver clear, accessible scientific evidence of your product’s efficacy in real-world scenarios, ensuring you have the factual basis required to confidently progress your product’s development.
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Beyond supporting your internal project decisions, our data package also forms the basis of your Biological Assessment Dossiers. We recognise the importance of these dossiers for regulatory submissions, as they must thoroughly demonstrate your product’s efficacy and substantiate its performance claims as stated on the label. The comprehensive data we provide is tailored to address these requirements, ensuring your submission is well-supported and robust.
Enumeration of Biological Products
An often-overlooked component of biological field trials is the rigorous evaluation of product robustness, metabolic activity, and proliferative capacity. At AgroTrials Consulting, we specialise in quantifying biological products both prior to and following their application to targeted environments. We possess extensive expertise across a broad spectrum of sample types, including micro-organisms and organic compounds, formulated for seed dressings, foliar sprays, and in-furrow applications. This service is also well-suited for assessing product persistence on foliage and detecting residues under both real-world field conditions and controlled greenhouse settings.
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Clients may submit samples in stable conditions, such as coated seeds, tank mixtures, or pre-application specimens. Or we can arrange to travel onsite for testing persistence and residues following application. We will perform an in-depth analysis and deliver comprehensive quantitative data, including colony enumeration, viability assessments, and enzyme activity measurements using selective media or advanced assays. This will ensure highly accurate and dependable results to support your research initiatives and product development objectives.
Bioprospecting & Pathogen Sampling
We offer field-based bioprospecting and targeted plant pathogen sampling services that aid the discovery, isolation, and characterisation of candidate microbes for your biological product and collection of infectious material for genetic analysis. These services are tailored for clients seeking improved biological solutions for enhanced disease protection, increased crop yields and detailed insights into pathogen populations and traits leading to increased virulence or resistance to control measures.
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The service consists of targeted sampling in the natural environment or agricultural field setting, with a structured methodology encompassing project scoping, site evaluation, field sampling, sample stabilisation and handling, compliant shipment, and thorough documentation to maintain chain-of-custody.
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Deliverables comprise a detailed sampling plan, meticulous field records, GPS site documentation, chain-of-custody logs, and sample inventories ready for laboratory processing.
We further support regulatory compliance through assistance with permit acquisition, landowner authorisations, and adherence to international frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and Nagoya Protocol when handling genetic resources.
Presentations
At the heart of our service is a strong commitment to clear client communication and project transparency, providing materials that are simple, efficient, and informative. We ensure that you are kept fully up to date with the progress of your project at every stage. All project results and services are delivered through comprehensive, clear and concise reports and presentations. These are specifically designed to distil complex field-trial project information into formats that are straightforward, easy to interpret, and actionable. Our reporting approach enables clients to understand project developments without the need to navigate technical jargon or convoluted data.
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To ensure you are constantly in tune with progress of your project we provide secure access to our Field Trial Monitor, which offers real-time updates and highlights key trial milestones as they occur. This digital platform ensures that clients can track their project’s advancement whenever and wherever they choose, giving them immediate insight into critical developments.
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We believe in transparency when it comes to project costs. Detailed cost breakdowns are provided, allowing clients to see precisely how and why their investments are allocated across various activities. This openness fosters trust and enables informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.
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Our overall approach is founded on openness and collaboration. We prioritise keeping our clients fully informed and actively involved at every stage of their field trial projects, ensuring a partnership built on trust, clarity, and shared objectives.
Specialist Services
At AgroTrials Consulting, we deliver bespoke support for agricultural field trial projects from planning and design to data and reporting. Scroll down to discover our specialist services.
