MBI submits Venerate bioinsecticide for registration in Canada and Mexico

The U.S. biopesticide company Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI) recently announced its VENERATE™ Bioinsecticide has been submitted for registration in Canada and Mexico. The new, broad-spectrum bioinsecticide is active against a wide array of chewing and sucking insects and mites and features novel modes of action that stem from a diverse set of natural compounds produced by a newly discovered bacterium.

VENERATE is the first product from the company's in-house discovery screen to be registered. The product is non-toxic to fish, birds, and most beneficial insects including honeybees, and also has the advantage of a zero-day pre-harvest interval (PHI) and an exemption from MRL (maximum residue level) tolerances — a measure of pesticide residue limits that must be met for most food crop exports.

It is labeled for a wide array of crops and can be used in conventional and organic systems. The product is available in a liquid formulation with the flexibility to be applied by ground or air, no limit on the number of applications allowed per season, and a minimal four hour re-entry interval.

Hector Absi, MBI Chief Operating Officer, comments on these recent registration submissions, "Seeking these new registrations is an integral part of our global expansion plan for MBI products. We have already seen strong reception for our biofungicide product, Regalia® Maxx in Mexico and Canada. We expect VENERATE to fill a similar need for an effective bioinsecticide with these very same growers. Both countries' growers export a large portion of their crop production and VENERATE, because of its exemption from maximum residue level tolerances, can help them manage the growing concerns about pesticide residues among importing countries."

He adds, "Used either in rotation or in a tank-mix, VENERATE can improve the effectiveness of conventional and organic integrated pest management (IPM) programs, and because of its biological profile, it also provides greater flexibility than chemical insecticides that face increasing use restrictions. VENERATE also reduces risk to workers, consumers and non-target pests, and has the minimum worker re-entry and pre-harvest intervals so it can be used right up to the day of harvest."