US approves MBI’s new biofumigant MBI-601 EP

Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. recently announced that the Company has received registration of MBI-601 EP, a biofumigant, from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Biopesticide Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD).

This new product controls and suppresses plant parasitic nematodes, insect pests and soil-borne plant diseases in agricultural and horticultural soils. The active ingredient, a strain of Muscodor albus, produces volatile compounds that either kill or inhibit the growth of certain destructive nematodes, pest insects, and also plant diseases such as Fusarium root rot, damping off, southern blight and Verticillium wilt. In addition to soil applications, MBI believes this novel microbe will have further use for turf, forestry seedlings, post-harvest application and in the seed treatment market.

Field trials using this novel biofumigant show increased yields in treated strawberries, lettuce and other crops. MBI's initial focus for the product will be for California strawberry crops for which there is a critical need for additional solutions to control soil disease, nematodes and insects.

Soil fumigants have been valuable, economically beneficial tools in protecting crops worldwide. However, many fumigants have been restricted or removed from the market due to environmental concerns as well as their risk to the health of farmworkers and the general public. According to markets and markets, the global fumigant market is approximately $1.4 billion and the U.S. fumigant market was estimated at $625 million in 2016.

Pam Marrone, MBI's Chief Executive Officer and Founder, said "We are excited to again have harnessed novel technology to fill a costly gap that leaves growers of high value fruits, nuts, vines, vegetables, and ornamentals with few solutions. The opportunities for this new biofumigant further validate our strategy to develop a broad suite of products that addresses a wide range of unmet market needs. We believe MBI-601 can enable growers to avoid the losses they endure because of unfortunately necessary restrictions on chemical fumigants."

The Company noted that MBI-601 EP has also been determined by the US EPA to be USDA National Organic Program compliant. Concurrent with the US EPA registration, the Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI) has listed MBI-601 EP for use in organic farming.

The new genus and species, Muscodor albus, and many of its strains, were discovered by Dr. Gary Strobel, Professor Emeritus at Montana State University.