Marrone Bio Innovations Inc (NASDAQ:MBII) has recently received approval for its Grandevo WDG Bioinsecticide for use in New Zealand and Chile.
In addition, Grandevo WDG and Grandevo CG have also been approved for use on hemp by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
“Growers are aggressively seeking alternative crop protection solutions that will serve as safe and effective controls for increasingly problematic pests,” said Kevin Hammill, the company’s chief commercial officer, in a statement Thursday.
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“After several years of extensive field trials in the US, we have witnessed the strong performance of how Grandevo WDG Bioinsecticide works on specialty crops. Now growers around the world will be able to experience the performance of Grandevo – from the high-value vineyards of New Zealand’s Marlborough region to Chile’s famous Colchagua Valley," Hammill added.
Marrone Bio said that in New Zealand, Grandevo WDG will be sold by Nufarm as BioGro and is approved for controlling mealybug on New Zealand’s famous wine grape crop. BioGro is registered and approved by Sustainable Winegrowing NZ (SWNZ), a world-leading sustainability program for growing wine grapes, and is allowed for use on both organic and conventional grape-growing systems from pre-flowering to bunch closure. Additional crops and pests are expected for approval in the coming year.
The company said Grandevo WDG was approved for use in blueberries, grapes, stone fruit, tomatoes, avocados, and onions by the Ministry of Agriculture in Chile (Servicio Agricola y Ganadero - SAG) in November 2020 and is distributed by Anasac, a leading Chilean agriculture inputs provider.
Grandevo WDG was among one of the first products of its kind to be approved under SAG’s new regulatory guidance for biological pesticides, as published in December 2018. Chile is a major exporter of fresh blueberries and grapes and accounts for 60% of all fruit exports within South America.
US hemp
In the US, Grandevo WDG and Grandevo CG were recently approved by the EPA for use on hemp, a high-value crop that has seen rapid growth since its authorization for cultivation in the 2014 US Farm Bill.
The approval of the bioinsecticide will provide growers with some much-needed help in the management of problematic pests such as thrips and mites and comes at a time when, due to the highly regulated environment of hemp growing and processing, limited crop protection products have been available.
California-based Marrone Bio said growers are encouraged to check with their state pesticide regulatory agency or the company for registration status and can expect state approval in time for the planting of the 2021 hemp crop.
Grandevo WDG is a microbial-based insecticide that contains several active compounds to repel, stop feeding, reduce reproduction, and induce mortality of damaging populations of sucking and chewing insects, flies and mites. Grandevo is ideal for integrated pest management programs as it is soft on a wide range of beneficial insects including honeybees. The bioinsecticide is also Maximum Residue Limit Exempt, requires minimal Personal Protective Equipment, has a four-hour Re-Entry Interval, and is approved for both organic and conventional production.
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