DAVIS, Calif. (May 03, 2012) –  AgraQuest, Inc. announced today that its broad-spectrum soil fungicide, SERENADE SOIL is now approved for use in California strawberries. SERENADE SOIL is a unique soil fungicide combining control on important yield-robbing diseases with root colonization and plant growth effects, thus giving growers a new unique approach to both protect and enhance yields.

“With the removal of methyl bromide and the practical challenges of using other fumigant technologies, California strawberry growers face mounting difficulty controlling soil diseases,” said Ashish Malik, Senior VP of Marketing at AgraQuest.  “SERENADE SOIL, with its strong disease control and yield benefits, will be an important part of a soil pest program.”

Applied at planting, SERENADE SOIL first attacks soil-dwelling pathogens, and then quickly builds a disease protection zone around the seedling’s roots.  As the seedling grows, the beneficial bacteria in SERENADE SOIL continue to grow, attaching themselves to the roots of the plant, expanding the disease protection zone. Unlike traditional soil fungicides, this second powerful effect continues to protect the plant during the season, and results in higher-yielding fields and better quality fruits and vegetables.

Protecting the state’s more than $2 billion strawberry crop is a priority for California’s leaders, including the Department of Pesticide Regulation, who recently formed the Working Group to Identify Ways to Grow Strawberries without Fumigants.  The Work Group is tasked with evaluating new technologies and developing recommendations for growers near the end of 2012.

The recently approved label will allow applications for control of Verticillium.  The company plans for the label for SERENADE SOIL to be expanded to include additional strawberry diseases in the future.  In 2012 field trials, the product will continue to be evaluated for its effects on Phytophthora and Fusarium.  Since the product is widely tank-mix compatible, expanded trials will also focus on integration of SERENADE SOIL with weed control and insect control products.

“The era of a single product controlling weed seeds, soil insects and soil diseases has passed with the removal of methyl bromide,” said Malik. “Growers today are integrating a number of technologies to improve their control programs.  SERENADE SOIL will be an important component of these programs.”

Available to U.S. growers of fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes and melons since 2010, SERENADE SOIL has quickly gained a following among growers seeking improved yields and profits.  Years of investigation have demonstrated that plants treated with SERENADE SOIL fungicide are stronger and healthier, and deliver average yield increases of better than 13% across a variety of crops, growing practices and production areas.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective biopesticide products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

DAVIS, Calif. and Mississauga, Ontario  (May 2, 2012) – AgraQuest, Inc. and Premier Tech Home & Garden announced today that they have agreed to terms for a supply agreement that will have AgraQuest produce and package fungicide products for the Green Earth line from Premier Tech Home & Garden for the Canadian retail market.  Under the terms of the agreement, AgraQuest technology based on its patented strain of Bacillus subtilis QST 713 will be used in Green Earth biofungicide products for the home and garden marketplace.  Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Naturally derived, Bacillus subtilis QST 713 is the same active ingredient that powers AgraQuest’s fungicide SERENADE®, used by commercial farmers and growers for nearly a decade to treat fruits, vegetables and canola for common bacterial and fungal diseases.

“The technology and expertise of AgraQuest are a great fit for our Green Earth line,” said Paul Lefebvre, Director, New Business Development for Premier Tech.  The initial product using AgraQuest technology will be 24-ounce ready-to-use bottles with national distribution in Canada for the 2012 season.

“We are very excited about our collaboration with Premier Tech; we believe that this is an ideal avenue to expand our footprint in the home and garden marketplace in Canada,” said Mike Miille, President and COO for AgraQuest and head of AgraQuest’s BioInnovations Division.  “Collaborating with Premier Tech allows us to more effectively serve mass merchandisers that had previously been outside our distribution focus of independent garden centers and nurseries.”

About Premier Tech 

Premier Tech Home & Garden is a business unit of Premier Tech Ltd, a Canadian corporation which, for 85 years now, has been building its know-how and reputation on the various technology-oriented opportunities offered by sphagnum peat moss, an abundant natural resource in Canada. To learn more about Premier Tech Ltd, visit their website at www.premiertech.com.

About AgraQuest, Inc.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective pest management products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

DAVIS, Calif. (April 17, 2012) –  AgraQuest, Inc. announced today that EPA has recently approved seed treatment uses of the microbial active ingredients in SERENADE® and SONATA® fungicides, both already widely used by growers as effective foliar or soil fungicides.

Extensive field trial testing as seed treatments over the past several years demonstrated control of key diseases such as fusarium, rhizoctonia and pythium that impact seed germination and plant growth in a wide range of crops including soybeans, cotton, corn, wheat and vegetables.  The field trials conducted by AgraQuest, its customers and potential partners showed the products improved crop stand and vigor, and resulted in yield improvements at harvest.

“Results of field trials with these technologies give us confidence that they will make valuable tools in the hands of growers,” said Joe Schmidt, VP of Business Development for AgraQuest’s BioInnovations division.  Expanded field testing by major seed companies and seed treaters will continue in 2012, with launch plans for 2013.

“Microbial technologies are ideally suited for use as soil and seed treatments,” explained Dr. Michael Miille, Chief Operating Officer at AgraQuest.  “Not only do the products deliver contact control of seed and soil pests, they also quickly colonize the root surface as the seedling emerges and deliver compounds important to pest control as well as stress tolerance and plant growth directly into the root zone.” SERENADE SOIL® fungicide, introduced to U.S. growers in 2010, delivers similar multi-functional activity in a soil drench formulation.

These technologies are the first in a range of microbial seed treatments AgraQuest expects to introduce to global markets in coming years.  Controlling a wide spectrum of diseases and soil insects as well as nematodes, the product portfolio will deliver a mode of action complementary to conventional seed treatment chemistries.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective biopesticide products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

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DAVIS, Calif. (April 9, 2012) – AgraQuest, Inc. today announced changes in the company’s sales and marketing teams aimed at accelerating the velocity of recent growth and supporting new product introductions.  Bruce Odens has become Vice President of U.S. & Canada Sales.  Sarah Reiter has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing – AgroChemicals & Food Value Chain.   Ken Phelps has joined the company as Marketing Manager – USA and Canada.

“These changes bring focus to our sales and marketing efforts in the North American market,” said Cesar Lamonega, Senior VP of Sales for the Americas and Asia.

AgraQuest will launch BIO-TAM™ soil fungicide and OPTIVA™ fungicide in U.S. markets this year to build upon the grower acceptance and market adoption of AgraQuest’s existing portfolio of crop protection products including the SERENADE® family of fungicides, SONATA® fungicide, BALLAD® PLUS fungicide, and REQUIEM® insecticide.  This new team will continue to build on AgraQuest’s 30 percent per annum growth rate and increase the pace of the company’s expansion.

BIO-TAM soil fungicide will join SERENADE SOIL® fungicide to broaden the company’s soil fungicide offering.  With the phase out of methyl-bromide and the challenges associated with using other fumigants, growers are increasingly turning to biofungicides as tools to control soil diseases and increase crop yields.

“The rapid growth we’ve seen with SERENADE SOIL fungicide – more than doubling its sales last year – reflects a need in the market for innovative solutions,” said Lamonega.

OPTIVA fungicide delivers impressive contact control of a wide spectrum of fungal and bacterial diseases affecting fruit and vegetable crops at very low use rates.   Launching first in the western U.S. for trees, vines and vegetables, the product is expected to be available across the USA in 2013.

The new team is additionally tasked with expanding AgraQuest’s commercial presence in North America for the future.  “The company’s pipeline is extremely robust,” said Ashish Malik, AgraQuest’s Senior VP of Marketing.  AgraQuest aims to launch five new biopesticide active ingredients to the U.S. market in the next five years.  “We plan to introduce a variety of products aimed at improving grower profitability through yield enhancement and control of nematodes, mites and other insects or crop diseases.”

Odens will lead the U.S. and Canadian sales team, bringing more than 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and program management of agrochemicals and seeds to the new role.  He joined AgraQuest in 2011 as the Key Account Manager.

Reiter, who has been with AgraQuest since 2006, will drive marketing activities for North America and will develop strategies to incorporate biopesticides within sustainability practices in the global food value chain.

Phelps brings more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing fungicides, insecticides and herbicides to his role as Marketing Manager – USA and Canada.  All three will work from the company’s headquarters in Davis, California.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective pest management products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

DAVIS, Calif. (April 5, 2012) – AgraQuest, Inc. announced today that its soil fungicide, SERENADE SOIL is now approved for use against White Mold in peanuts.

Introduced into the peanut market early last year, SERENADE SOIL is a unique soil fungicide combining control on important yield-robbing diseases with root colonization and plant growth effects, giving growers a unique new approach to both protect and enhance yields.  Trials have demonstrated control of rhizoctonia and white mold as well as yield increases.

“The benefits of SERENADE SOIL in peanuts are exciting,” said Ken Phelps, AgraQuest’s North American Marketing Manager.  “During our development of this product, we’ve proven yield effects worth $35 to $130 per dollar spent on the fungicide.”

Applied at planting, SERENADE SOIL first attacks soil-dwelling pathogens, and then quickly builds a disease protection zone around the seed.  As the seedling grows, the beneficial bacteria in SERENADE SOIL continue to grow, attaching themselves to the roots of the plant, expanding the disease protection zone. Unlike traditional soil fungicides, this second powerful effect continues to protect the plant during the season resulting in higher-yielding fields and better quality fruits and vegetables.

SERENADE SOIL is also registered for control of rhizoctonia.  In 2012 field trials it will continue to be evaluated for suppression of Cylindrocladium black rot.

“With resistance management a major concern in peanuts, SERENADE SOIL offers a novel mode of action and a new tool to help with existing programs,” said Phelps. “The combination of disease-controlling metabolites with plant growth promotion effects can make this a powerful new approach.”

Available to U.S. growers of fruits and vegetables since 2010, SERENADE SOIL has quickly gained a following among growers seeking improved yields and profits.  Years of investigation have demonstrated that plants treated with SERENADE SOIL fungicide are stronger and healthier, and deliver average yield increases of better than 13% across a variety of crops, growing practices and production areas.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective pest management products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

Davis, Calif. (April 5, 2012) – AgraQuest, Inc. today announced SERENADE SOIL fungicide is now available for growers of bulb vegetables including onions, leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, strawberries, and cole crops in most of the U.S., in addition to tomatoes, peppers, cucurbits and potatoes previously labeled.

The product can now also be used for control of Sclerotium rolfsii in peanuts and tomatoes.  SERENADE SOIL fungicide is the first soil fungicide based on AgraQuest’s patented active ingredient Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713.

“We’re excited by the expansion of SERENADE SOIL into new crops,” said Sarah Reiter, AgraQuest’s VP of Marketing – Agrochemicals & Food Value Chain.   “Growers of leafy vegetables, brassicas and bulb crops will now have access to the soil disease and yield benefits of SERENADE SOIL proven through several years of expanding use in crops like potatoes.”

Applied at planting or transplanting, SERENADE SOIL first attacks soil-dwelling pathogens, and then quickly builds a disease protection zone around the seed.  As the seedling grows, the beneficial bacteria in SERENADE SOIL continue to grow, attaching themselves to the roots of the plant, expanding the disease protection zone.  Unlike traditional soil fungicides, this second powerful effect continues to protect the plant during the season resulting in higher-yielding fields and better quality fruits and vegetables.

Developed by AgraQuest’s R&D organization, SERENADE SOIL reflects the company’s unique understanding of microbial fungicides and plant growth promotion.

“With more than $140 million invested in our science platform, the company is uniquely positioned to deliver tools like this to growers,” said AgraQuest’s CEO, Marcus Meadows-Smith.

Years of investigation have demonstrated that plants treated with SERENADE SOIL fungicide are stronger and healthier, as well as deliver average yield increases of better than 13% across a variety of crops, growing practices and production areas.

Available in the U.S. since January 2010, SERENADE SOIL fungicide has quickly gained acceptance among growers focused on increasing their yields and profits.  Registrations for many of these expanded uses in California are anticipated later this year.

AgraQuest, Inc.  is a global biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective pest management products to increase agricultural production.  As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low chem sector, AgraQuest is at the forefront of changes in food production by providing growers with solutions that offer best-in-class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities.   Through its Agriculture and BioInnovations divisions, AgraQuest focuses on natural products designed for pest control and yield improvements for global agriculture, the garden and in food safety markets.  For more information on the role AgraQuest innovations will play in Better Food and a Better World, visit www.agraquest.com.

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