Certis USA Licenses New Virus Technology for Control of Fall Armyworm
COLUMBIA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Certis
USA has entered into an agreement with Corpoica, the Colombian
Corporation for Agriculture Research, to license Corpoica’s Spodoptera
frugiperda nucleopolyhedrovirus (SfMNPV) strain NPV003 and
formulation technology to develop, manufacture and market biopesticide
products for agricultural uses in selected countries around the world,
including the Americas and Africa.
The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a serious pest of
many important crop plants, including maize, rice, sorghum, sugarcane,
vegetables, forage grasses and cotton. A native of the tropical and
subtropical Americas, this moth’s migratory habits and the voracious
appetite of its larvae have made it a pest of economic concern from
southern Canada through much of South America. The recent arrival and
spread of the fall armyworm in Africa poses a serious risk to the
region’s food security. The insect has destroyed the crops of small
farmers who lack access to insecticides and other tools for effective
management. Building on its experience in the development and marketing
of insecticidal viruses and other microbial crop protection agents,
Certis USA recognizes the value of Corpoica’s NPV strain and formulation
technology in providing biological solutions to such global crop
protection challenges.
About Certis USA
Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Certis USA is a leading
manufacturer and distributor of a broad
line of biopesticide products for specialty agricultural and
horticultural markets and the home and garden market. Certis USA
products provide valuable solutions by meeting the challenges faced by
today’s growers who are seeking sustainable alternatives, resistant pest
management and harvest solutions, and low pesticide residues for market
flexibility and export accessibility. For more information about Certis
USA or its products visit www.CertisUSA.com.
About Corpoica
The Colombian Corporation for Agricultural Research – Corpoica – (from
its name in Spanish, http://www.corpoica.org.co)
is a public non-profit R&D organization sponsored by the Government of
Colombia and other funding partners. It generates and transfers new
knowledge for the agricultural and livestock sectors and is one of the
more relevant research institutions working on tropical agriculture.
Corpoica’s 13 research stations deliver modern technologies for
vegetables, fruits, long-term and short-cycle crops, roots and tubers,
cacao and livestock.
Contacts
Gillham & Associates Marketing Communications
Felicia Gillham
619-482-8820;
Cell: 619-341-3054 (PST)
