Syngenta Obtains Exclusive Rights for Turf Product Line from Pasteuria Bioscience
September 19, 2011 – ALACHUA, Fla. – Pasteuria Bioscience has announced that it has further strengthened its relationship with Syngenta, one of the world’s leading agricultural technology companies, by entering into a licensing and distribution agreement for its existing and future turf grass products. This agreement is in addition to and separate from its June agreement that announced a global alliance for developing and commercializing bio-nematicide products based on Pasteuria spp. in a broad variety of agricultural and specialty crops.
As a result of the agreement, Syngenta will obtain Econem® Biological Nematicide, the first product containing Pasteuria commercialized by Pasteuria Bioscience. Introduced in the southeastern United States in 2010, Econem® provides an environmentally-safe, cost-effective and reliable approach for controlling sting nematodes in turf grass. In addition to Econem®, Syngenta will also secure the rights for all new turf products in the Pasteuria Bioscience research and development pipeline.
“This agreement further strengthens our relationship with Syngenta and serves as further validation of the technology,” said David Duncan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer for Pasteuria Bioscience. “We’re very excited about Syngenta’s plan to resource and fully realize the potential of these Pasteuria-based products in the golf course and other turf grass markets.”
“Our customers have told us that they are extremely interested in how these new and environmentally favorable options can be effectively used to control pests,” says Michael Parkin, Syngenta Global Head, Turf & Landscape. “It is really exciting to be able to add this innovative product to our already robust integrated offer.”
About Pasteuria Bioscience
Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc., was founded in 2003 in the University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator where it remains headquartered. The company was developed to commercialize its revolutionary technology for production of biological nematode control products based on the Pasteuria platform. The first Pasteuria-based product Econem® was commercialized in 2010 for sting nematode control in the golf and sports turf markets. Pasteuria Bioscience is also developing products to treat major nematode pests in most agricultural crops such as soybean, sugar beet and cotton as well as in specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables. For more information, visit the Pasteuria Bioscience web site at http://www.pasteuriabio.com.