MARRONE BIO INNOVATIONS INTRODUCES REGALIA RX BIOFUNGICIDE
Jun. 2, 2014
Source: Marrone Bio Innovations news release
Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI), [NASDAQ: MBII], a leading global provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products formally introduces REGALIA® Rx, an advanced, broad-spectrum biofungicide that improves plant health and increases yield potential. The product is registered for use in corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and other row crops.
Field trials in 2011-2013 and a test market in 2013 conducted in corn and soybeans confirmed that adding just one pint of REGALIA Rx to an existing fungicide program improved overall plant health and yields. Applications of REGALIA Rx to both corn and soybeans produced plants with more extensive root systems, larger, fuller ears of corn, bigger and greener soybean plants and overall better yields. Similar yield response and plant health improvements were demonstrated in rice, wheat and barley trials during the same timeframe.
"The average yield increase across the REGALIA Rx trials-university and on-farm-was six bushels/acre in corn and two bushels/acre in soybeans compared to the standard fungicide program," states Dr. Tim Johnson, Global Product Development Director for Marrone Bio Innovations. "These increases provide a very good return on investment on the pint of Rx that was applied."
Encouraged by the yield increases and plant responses that were observed, the Marrone Bio Innovations product development staff focused a portion of the 2013 trials on comparing various application timing scenarios to see how application timing would impact product performance. The resulting data showed higher yield increases when REGALIA Rx was applied earlier in the season.
"Adding REGALIA Rx to the fungicide program earlier in the season gives crops the optimum performance potential and benefit. In corn, our studies show that one pint of REGALIA Rx applied at the V4 and V8 stages of growth boosted yields significantly more than later season applications at V8 and VT," explains Dr. Johnson.
Growers who have used REGALIA Rx like the results they see as well.
"We applied REGALIA Rx on our soybeans with another fungicide and insecticide," says David Elijah, a grower in Clarence, Iowa. "In those trials we had 3.7 bushels better yield at one location and 2.2 bushels per acre better yield at the other location.
We're planning on using REGALIA Rx on more soybean acres this year. I was happy with it on the soybeans for sure. When other farmers ask why I use REGALIA Rx, I tell them that I like the fact that it's a natural product and that there's no known resistance to REGALIA Rx. It helps any other fungicide perform better."
The active ingredient in REGALIA Rx, which is derived from a plant extract, triggers plants' natural defense systems to help protect against disease, improve plant health, combat fungal and bacterial diseases and boost yield potential. This complex mode of action is known as Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR). ISR provides several key benefits including:
• Inhibiting pathogen growth by:
•Inducing phytoalexins and phenolic compounds
•Increasing the activity pathogen-related (PR) proteins in plants
•Elevating levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS)
•Inhibiting spore germination
• Strengthening cell walls
•ISR increases the production of lignin in the plant (Note: Lignin is an organic substance that binds together cells, fibers and vessels within plant tissue. An increase in lignin in the plant adds to the thickness and strength of cell walls.)
•This, in turn, helps plants resist pathogen attack more effectively
•It also helps improve plant vigor and may reduce susceptibility to lodging
•Promoting plant growth
•Regalia Rx increases photosynthetic activities
•It also stimulates the production of chlorophyll and phytohormones
REGALIA Rx is synergistic with other fungicides. It is the only commercially available fungicide with a FRAC code of P5 so it adds another mode of action to a fungicide program, which improves overall disease control and plant health. It is compatible with today's leading synthetic fungicides, including Headline®, Headline AMP®, Stratego®, Quadris®, Quilt Xcel®, Priaxor®, and others.
Widely recommended as a foliar application (by ground or aerial application), REGALIA Rx is also labeled for use as an effective soil treatment against soil-borne plant diseases. Trials comparing soil and foliar applications are in progress.
For more information, please visit www.marronebio.com.