Mexico approves MBI's bioinsecticides GRANDEVO and VENERATE

Marrone Bio Innovations Inc.(MBI) recently announced that Mexico regulatory authorities have approved for sale both of the company’s bioinsecticides, GRANDEVO and VENERATE.

GRANDEVO and VENERATE are advanced broad-spectrum bioinsecticides that offer protection against chewing and sucking insects and mites including thrips, whiteflies, Asian citrus psyllid, armyworms and other pest caterpillars, Lygus bug, mealybugs, and soil-inhabiting pests. The active ingredients in GRANDEVO and VENERATE bioinsecticides are different, novel species of non-living bacteria that produce insecticidal compounds during the fermentation manufacturing process.

Official field studies performed in Mexico, as well as in other parts of the world, show both GRANDEVO and VENERATE have equivalent or better performance to chemical pesticides on certain pest species. Both products have unique and complex modes of action that provide growers with a much needed component in their programs to control mounting insect resistance to existing products. And, both GRANDEVO and VENERATE provide operational flexibility, with minimum re-entry intervals and no pre-harvest interval, allowing crops to be harvested soon after application. Both products are exempt from the requirement of a food tolerance, and therefore provide an effective solution for late season pest control on exported crops that are subject to maximum residue levels.

Dr. Pam Marrone, Founder and CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, commented, “Mexico is a key market for MBI, as Mexico is a major agricultural producer of fresh fruits and vegetables, with much of its production destined for U.S. and Canadian markets. We believe the pesticide residue tolerance exempt status of both GRANDEVO and VENERATE will help facilitate the movement of produce both ways across the U.S. and Mexican border, as well as into other markets that have strict limits on pesticide residues.”

Julie Versman, Senior Director of International Business, added, “Both GRANDEVO and VENERATE will provide Mexican growers with effective, reduced-risk pest management tools. Mexican regulatory agencies have designated both MBI insecticides with ‘green band’ status, meaning the products present minimal health risks to farm workers and food processors and, due to their worker safety, can be sprayed with minimal pre-harvest and re-entry intervals.”

GRANDEVO and VENERATE are registered in Mexico for use on:

1) Solanaceous crops, such as tomato, pepper, chili, eggplant and potato for thrips, beet armyworm and both nymphs and adults of potato psylla.

2) Berry crops, such as strawberry, raspberry and blackberry for red mites and two-spotted spider mites.

3) Cole crops, such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts for diamond-back moth.

With 2016 field trials in Mexico on citrus and Asian citrus psyllid completed, efforts are now underway to expand the label to include Asian citrus psyllid control on citrus. Both products are compliant with the National Organic Program (NOP) and listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).