U.S. EPA issues registration for corn rootworm biopesticide from NewLeaf Symbiotics

NewLeaf Symbiotics^® announces that the U.S. EPA has issued registration for TS201, which contains Methylorubrum extorquens, under the Terrasym^® brand. The company is working with strategic partners for broad scale trialing and commercialization of the product, pending state approvals.

TS201 is a biopesticide that uses a unique strain of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria known as pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs) to mitigate corn rootworm root feeding damage. Corn rootworm (CRW) is an insect pest whose larvae feed almost exclusively on corn roots. It is the most damaging insect pest of corn in North America, causing an estimated $1 billion in revenue loss for growers annually, according to the USDA.

This product provides growers with another potential tool to address the challenges from corn rootworm damage. ″CRW causes significant yield losses among our customer base, especially in continuous corn areas and where Western Corn Rootworm variant populations exist,″ said Edward Logan, President of Logan Agri-Service, Inc. ″Having this type of product available as a planter box application removes substantial barriers for those growers without the ability to apply CRW insecticide at planting.″

Since 2013, NewLeaf Symbiotics has been paving the way for sustainable agriculture technology with a singular focus on the development and commercialization of PPFMs. Through extensive research, field trials, and studies NewLeaf has proven the benefits these unique strains of bacteria can have on crops. NewLeaf’s line of Terrasym products for corn and soybean have shown to consistently provide enhanced nutrient uptake throughout the growing season, resulting in a +2.0 Bu/A yield advantage with Terrasym 401 for Soybeans and a +4.5 Bu/A yield advantage with Terrasym 450 for Corn in 2020 IN10T^® FarmerTrials^®.

″TS201 is a product we’ve been working on for several years now,″ said Dr. Allison Jack, Product Technical Director at NewLeaf Symbiotics. ″We’re thrilled to have received EPA registration for TS201, and are looking forward to large-scale commercial trialing with growers and partners in 2023.″