Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
November 16, 2010
Plant Health Care, a leading provider of naturally derived products to the agriculture and landscape industries, announces that it has signed a research agreement with Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. to evaluate and possibly develop Plant Health Care’s Harpin protein as a foliar spray in combination with a number of Syngenta’s major products.
In trials, Harpin has been shown to increase significantly yields on a variety of crops when applied in combination with other active ingredients. Syngenta will test various Harpin formulations in combination with a number of leading Syngenta fungicidal, insecticidal and growth regulating products. Improvements in yield, plant health and product efficacy will be evaluated in a range of crop and production situations. In cases where testing identifies synergies from combining Harpin protein with Syngenta’s products, the parties intend to develop full, long-term commercialization arrangements.
In July 2010, Plant Health Care announced its first agreement with Syngenta to develop and market its Harpin protein as a foliar spray in combination with Syngenta’s herbicide products containing glyphosate. The combined treatment will be suitable for all crops that are tolerant to glyphosate, which is applied on more than 200 million acres worldwide per year.
The board of Plant Health Care believes that working with a major industry partner in this way is the best way to screen and identify commercial opportunities for the foliar application of Harpin proteins.
Harpin is a specific protein that activates a plant’s innate ability to protect itself and enhance growth and yield. The technology offers the potential of yield improvement, suppression of pests such as nematodes and protection against damaging diseases, as well as additive plant performance benefits.
John Brady, CEO of Plant Health Care, said, “This is an exciting opportunity to expand our relationship with the leader in the crop protection industry. We believe there are strong synergistic opportunities between the two companies’ product lines which this agreement will allow us to explore fully.”
Rusty Wendt, Head, Insecticide and Fungicide Brand Management, Syngenta Crop Protection said, “We look forward to exploring the Harpin technology and its potential to bring additional value to Syngenta product offerings and ultimately to our grower customers,” Researching innovative solutions to boost biological performance, crop yield and plant performance and bringing them to market is the core of our business.”
Plant Health Care plc (“PHC”) is a leading provider of naturally derived products for plants and soil. Established in 1995 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PHC currently has approximately 90 employees and has operations in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. The Company’s ordinary shares have been quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (“AIM”) of the London Stock Exchange since July 2004 and listed on the Official List of the Channel Islands Stock Exchange (“CISX”) in February 2010 (ticker symbol/mnemonic: PHC).
PHC’s products are aimed at the agriculture and landscape industries and are environmentally beneficial. Through the commercialization of these products, PHC is capitalizing on current long-term trends toward natural systems and biological products for plant care and soil and water management.
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