Marrone Bio Innovations' Regalia Biofungicide Included in Fungicide Resistance Action Committee's 2012 Code List

DAVIS, Calif., March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (MBI), a leading global provider of natural products for the agricultural and water treatment markets, announced today that the active ingredient in its Regalia® biofungicide, Reynoutria sachalinensis, has been included in the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee's (FRAC) 2012 code list, following an extensive technical review. FRAC, a technical group of CropLife International, is a global association of crop protection and agricultural biotechnology companies that provides fungicide resistance management guidelines to growers and crop consultants in order to prolong the effectiveness of fungicides and to limit crop losses caused by fungicide resistance.

"Regalia offers growers a powerful tool in resistance management programs, and we are excited by FRAC's decision to include Reynoutria sachalinensis in its code list," said Russell Blair, director of product management for MBI's agricultural products. "As resistance to synthetic chemicals increases and resistance management becomes a critical component of crop protection, Regalia brings a low-risk and flexible solution to the agricultural community."

The active ingredient in Regalia was added to the FRAC code list because of its Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) mode of action. Because of Regalia's unique mode of action, a new FRAC code was created for the active ingredient and designated as P5. When treated with Regalia, the natural defense systems of crops are "switched on" to protect against attacking diseases. Research shows that plants treated with Regalia produce and accumulate elevated levels of specialized proteins and other compounds known to inhibit fungal and bacterial diseases. Field trial data also shows that the ISR mode of action improves plant health and yield in row crops such as soybeans and corn.

Regalia can be used alone, in rotation or in tank mixed with most commercially available fungicides to control a broad spectrum of bacterial and fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, Botrytis grey mold, bacterial spot and bacterial canker. Regalia is also effective against soil-borne diseases, including Rhizoctonia, Fusarium and Pythium. It is used on many crops, including tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, grapes, citrus, tree nuts and others. The product is tolerance exempt and helps growers manage residues in harvested produce.

About Marrone Bio Innovations

Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. is a leading global provider of natural products for the agricultural and water treatment markets. Its effective and environmentally friendly natural agricultural products provide higher yields and quality while managing pesticide resistance and residues. Through its proprietary discovery and development platform and strategically in-licensed technologies, MBI has developed a pipeline of advanced and early-stage productsfor the significant agricultural and water treatment markets. MBI is selling its award-winning Regalia^® biofungicide in the U.S. and other countries, and is addressing the water market with Zequanox^® for controlling invasive aquatic mussels in fresh waterways. In 2011 the company received EPA approval for Grandevo™, a broad-spectrum, highly effective natural insecticide for use on agricultural and ornamental crops. The company has submitted another insecticide and an herbicide to the EPA. MBI currently has three dozen patents pending in the U.S. and globally.

SOURCE Marrone Bio Innovations