US approves Andermatt Biocontrol’s Helicovex®

The US EPA has recently approved Andermatt Biocontrol’s Helicovex®, a Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) in November 2015. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted registration of Helicovex to control Helicoverpa ssp., which includes: Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), Tobacco budworm (Helicoverpa punctigera) and African cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera). The EPA granted applications of Helicovex on a broad range of different crops, including sweet corn, soybeans, cotton, different kinds of berries and vegetables and ornamentals. The approval includes agricultural use (greenhouse and open field) as well as residential use.

Helicovex provides excellent control of Helicoverpa ssp., leaves zero residues and isabsolutely harmless to non-target organisms. Helicovex has already obtained approval in Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia and Ukraine. There are additional applications pending approval in several different countries.