June 1997, Volume 18 No. 2

Company News

A round-up of relevant industrial developments. More detail on many of these items can be found in AgBiotech News and Information, published monthly by
CAB INTERNATIONAL.

Bankrupt Maryland-based Biosys was taken over in February by Thermo Trilogy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thermo Ecotek, which entered the biopesticide business in 1996 with the acquisition of the W. R. Grace biopesticide business. The viable Biosys UK subsidiary, AgriSense-BCS, was also acquired in the latest take-over. Thermo Trilogy intends to concentrate on four main areas: AgriSense pheromones, microbial pesticides including nematodes and baculoviruses, azadirachtin-based botanical insecticides and Kleentek disease-free sugarcane.

In a move designed to strengthen its position in the transgenic maize sector, Monsanto has, under separate agreements, acquired the US maize seed production company, Holden's Foundation Seeds together with Corn States Hybrid Service and Corn States International. Monsanto has also made a proposal to the board of directors of Calgene for the acquisition of the remainder of its shares; Monsanto acquired a 54.6% stake in the company earlier this year. In a separate move, Monsanto has demerged its chemical operations and the agrochemical and lifesciences sector to form two new publicly traded companies.

DowElanco now has a majority holding of 51.8% in Mycogen. It acquired a 46% stake in the firm last year after transfer of the DowElanco seed business to Mycogen. Meanwhile, Mycogen have formed an alliance with French-based seed company Verneuil Holding.

At the Biopesticides and Transgenic Plants meeting in Washington DC on 27-28 January 1997, DowElanco described the identification and development of a new class of biological insecticides (spinosyns) based on toxins isolated from the actinomycete Saccharopolyosa spinosa. The first one to be developed, Tracer (spinosad), has been given approval by the US Environmental Protection Agency for use on lepidopteran pests including beet and fall armyworms (Spodoptera exigua and S. frugiperda), cotton bollworms (Helicoverpa zea), tobacco budworms (Heliothis virescens) and lepidopteran looper caterpillars. DowElanco say that Tracer gives good control while having little impact on the environment or beneficial species, and that its mode of action will lessen chances of resistance. There are plans to develop products using other spinosyns showing activity against Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Isoptera and Thysanoptera.

Ecogen received registration for Lepinox (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki strain EG7826) for use on lepidopteran pests on food crops, turf, ornamentals and trees, and particularly for fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in maize. But Mycogen has decided to sue over patent infringe-ment. Mycogen argues that Lepinox is based on the Bt var. kurstaki Cry1F gene for which Mycogen holds two US patents. It has developed its own product for use against the armyworm and is planning to apply for registra-tion. Ecogen argues that the gene used in their product is structurally different and a patent application for it has been filed.

A systems approach to pest manage-ment is being pioneered by DuPont and Cyanamid. The companies aim to licence the farmer a technology package for a particular pest problem which includes both products (mainly pesticides) and information (decision-making aids). If their own products are inappropriate for a particular pest problem, they will recommend those of competitors.