March 1997 Vol.18 No.1

Company News

EcoScience Corporation (East Brunswick, New Jersey) has received $175,000 from the US Department of Agriculture for the development of a microbial fungicide to control Colletotrichum musae, which causes postharvest fruit rots in bananas. The first phase of the programme, with a $50,000 grant, identified a number of antagonists, including species of Bacillus and Pseudomonas. This second phase will develop formulations and field test them. The company has previously commercialised a P. syringae-based range of products under the name Bio-Save for use in stored apples, pears and citrus, but this is their first venture into tropical fruits.

Bio-Care Technology (Woy Woy, New South Wales) has received Australian government approval for the mic-robial insecticide BioGreen Granules, based on Metarhizium anisopliae. The product is aimed at the scarabaeid pasture pest Adoryphorus couloni, a serious problem in the south east of the country, and will be used first in Tasmania.

Thermo Trilogy (Columbia, Maryland) was established as a company in 1996, when Therm Ecotek acquired the biopesticide interests of W.R. Grace. The company has applied for US, Japanese and European Union approval for its Paecilomyces fumosoroseus-based microbial pesticide, which is aimed at mites and whiteflies in ornamentals and vegetables. Registrations have already been granted in Sweden and Poland.

Plantsupport (Grootbroek, Netherlands) is marketing a Trichoderma harzianum-based microbial fungicide in Europe under an exclusive arrange-ment with the US company BioWorks (Geneva, New York). The product, as formulations for use in growing media (Tri-002) or for root application (Tri-003), is aimed at a range of plant pathogens on horticultural crops. BioWorks has different T. harzianum products for fruit, field crops and ornamentals, and is developing Gliocladium-based products aimed at diseases caused by Phytophthora spp.