Marrone Bio Innovations’ Bioinsecticides Help Fruit Growers Combat the Invasive Pest, Spotted Wing Drosophila

DAVIS, Calif., May 04, 2017 -- Marrone Bio Innovations Inc. (MBI), (NASDAQ:MBII), a leading global provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products for the agriculture markets is conducting a webinar in conjunction with Western Farm Press on Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) management on Thursday May 18, 2017, 11am PT/1pm CT/2pm ET.

SWD (Drosophila suzukii) is a member of the Asian Vinegar Fly group and since its introduction to the Western Hemisphere in recent years, has aggressively spread and become the major invasive insect pest of berries and cherries in both the Americas and Europe.  Unlike other Vinegar Flies that are native to the U.S., SWD attacks healthy ripening fruit, as well as damaged or split fruit, infesting the fruit with eggs and larvae, which results in lost yield and lost revenue.  To manage SWD, farmers have significantly increased their use of synthetic  insecticides on  susceptible crops, which raises concerns about the development of insect resistance to chemical tools and about produce failing stringent maximum residue limits (MRLs) enforced throughout channels of trade.  Today, farmers can now add biological solutions into their Integrated Pest Management programs (IPM) to reduce chemical residues and help prevent insect resistance.  

Grandevo^TM Bioinsecticide, which is US-EPA and California Department of Pesticide Regulation-registered, significantly reduces egg laying by SWD  flies, therefore aiding in the reduction of the total SWD population,  thereby reducing crop losses.  These results have been confirmed by leading researchers at numerous Land Grant Universities and with Consultants (both in North America and Europe) on blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, and strawberries. Using Grandevo in season-long IPM strategies with commonly used synthetic insecticides, researchers have been able to develop SWD management programs that effectively control SWD and produce market-ready fruit that does not violate MRLs enforced by regulators or via purchase agreements in domestic and international markets. Grandevo is USDA National Organic Program compliant and OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute)-listed; Grandevo can improve both conventional and organic SWD IPM (integrated pest management) programs.

As part of Marrone Bio Innovations’ continued commitment to agriculture and education of biological solutions, we are sponsoring a webinar on SWD in association with Western Farm Press.  Please join us, Dr. Hannah Burrack from North Carolina State University and Dr. John Wise from Michigan State University as they discuss SWD Identification, Biology, and Management.  During the one hour session, Dr. Burrack will discuss the Biology of SWD and Dr. Wise will discuss Management Practices to control SWD, including:

• New Products
• New Rotation Strategies
• Organic Materials

MBI and Western Farm Press Webinar Details:

Spotted Wing Drosophila: Identification, Biology, and Management

Register

Not able to attend? Register anyway! We'll send you a link to the webinar archive so you can view it at your own convenience.

About Marrone Bio Innovations
Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBII) strives to lead the movement to a more sustainable world through the discovery, development and promotion of biological products for pest management and plant health.  Our effective and environmentally responsible solutions help customers operate more sustainably while controlling pests, improving plant health, and increasing crop yields. We have four products for agriculture on the market (Regalia^®, Grandevo^®, Venerate^® and Majestene^®), and also distribute Bio-tam 2.0^® for Isagro USA in the western U.S.  We market Zequanox^® for invasive mussels for water markets. We also have a proprietary discovery process, a rapid development platform, and a robust pipeline of pest management and plant health product candidates. At Marrone Bio Innovations, we are dedicated to pioneering better biopesticides that support a better tomorrow for users around the globe.  For more information, please visit www.marronebio.com.

Marrone Bio Innovations Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties.  All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations and plans, including assumptions underlying such statements, are forward-looking statements, and should not be relied upon as representing MBI’s views as of any subsequent date.  Examples of such statements include statements regarding sales of the Company’s products, including GRANDEVO for SWD.   Such forward-looking statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this release and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some beyond the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including consumer, regulatory and other factors affecting demand for the Company’s products, any difficulty in marketing MBI’s products against SWD, competition in the market for pest management products, lack of understanding of bio-based pest management products by customers and growers, and adverse decisions by regulatory agencies and other relevant third parties.  Additional information that could lead to material changes in MBI’s performance is contained in its filings with the SEC.  MBI is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to, update or alter forward-looking statements contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Marrone Bio Innovations Contact:

Andre Trepanier, Director of Marketing
(530) 750-2800
[email protected]