MBI’s Regalia Maxx biofungicide granted Canada approval

Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI) announced that Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency has approved Regalia Maxx biofungicide for outdoor and greenhouse use on a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as on wheat and ornamentals.

In conjunction with the approval, MBI has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Engage Agro, a leading Canadian distributor specializing in high-value fruit and vegetable crops.

"The approval of Regalia Maxx brings Canadian growers an environmentally responsible and effective solution for managing pests in conventional and organic crops," said MBI CEO Pam Marrone. "We believe that Engage Agro's expertise in high-value fruit and vegetable crops, coupled with its breadth of experience in the Canadian market, position us to expand the footprint of Regalia Maxx in North America."

Regalia Maxx is a product derived from a natural plant extract of Reynoutria sachalinensis, which triggers plants' natural defense systems to combat several bacterial and fungal diseases. It will be sold in Canada for use in fields and greenhouses to protect tomatoes, grapes, strawberries, cucurbits, ornamental plants and wheat.

"Regalia Maxx is particularly important to growers because it offers another weapon to combat the increasing threat of pest resistance to chemical treatments," said Engage Agro President Ray Chyc. "We look forward to working with MBI to bring Regalia Maxx to Canada and to expand the Regalia Maxx label for additional uses in the future."

Used in tank mixes, in program rotations and as a stand-alone product, Regalia Maxx is proven to control diseases such as powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot and gray mold, bacterial blight, and septoria leaf spot. The product can be applied up to and including the day of harvest (PHI of zero days). In addition, its exemption from the requirement of a food tolerance is particularly important for crops that are subject to maximum residue levels. Syngenta Crop Protection AG distributes Regalia Maxx in Turkey, and the product is distributed in Mexico by FMC Corp.