Plant Health Care (PHC) announced on Wednesday it received approval for its Employ®, containing the active ingredient Harpin ab, for use on Almonds, Grapes and Walnuts in California.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation approved the use of Employ on Almonds, Grapes and Walnuts for the suppression of nematodes, which causes $600 million annually in crop losses, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The biotech firm developing patent-protected biological products for agriculture said approval marked ‘an important milestone’ in the expansion of Employ into key specialty crops that represent over 2.5 million acres in California.
Chris Richards, CEO of Plant Health Care said, "This is a significant milestone for the company to receive regulatory approval from CDPR for the use of Employ, after extensive field trials to prove the effectiveness of the product.”
Shares in Plant Health Care were 13.74% higher at 13.08p during Wednesday afternoon trading
Mr. Richards said: “We are now planning to launch Employ into these important crops over the coming weeks with Wilbur-Ellis."
Plant Health Care told investors sales will start for the 2020 growing season through its exclusive distribution partner Wilbur-Ellis.
Wilbur-Ellis is a privately owned precision agriculture and technology firm that turns over $3 billion in sales annually.
When used in almonds, Employ trials saw root knot nematode damage reduced by 64% and yield improved by 11% compared to the grower standard treatment.
When applied to Chardonnay grapes, Employ trials saw reduced root knot nematode damage by 25% and increased grape bunch weight by 29% compared to the grower standard treatment.
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