As the SePRO Preferred Applicator and Agent for much of the Western United States, we would like to pass this announcement on to our market place. As this product is registered and launched this Spring, Aquatechnex will have a tool to complement our Mussel Detection Program. Where Mussels are found, there will be a management option.
Marrone™ Bio Innovations enters technology development agreement
with SePRO Corporation
Marrone Bio Innovations will join forces with SePRO Corporation to develop MBI’s naturally occurring microbial-based product, Zequanox™, for use in controlling zebra and quagga mussels in open water situations.
Sacramento, CA – December 9, 2009 – Invasive mussel populations have been found widespread in the great lakes and Midwest regions of North America for two decades now. More recently, quagga mussels have established themselves in the Colorado River and are rapidly spreading to other water bodies in the western states. These invasive zebra and quagga mussels are tiny, the size of a person’s fingernail, yet can wreak havoc in freshwater lakes and rivers. The mussels have been found to clog intake pipes that draw water from infested lakes and rivers. They coat the bottom of lake and reservoirs, disrupting biodiversity and the aquatic food chain and spoiling swimming areas with the sharpness of their shell’s edges. And, they attach to anything with a hard surface in the infested waters, like boats and their outdrives, hulls and intakes, leading to over-heating and drive-train wear. Invasive mussels grow rapidly to maturity within a year, and reproduce prolifically. A single adult female can produce 30,000 – 100,000 eggs each year, and researchers have found up to 700,000 adult mussels per square yard in some locations.
Marrone Bio Innovations’ proprietary microbial-based product, Zequanox, is highly effective in selectively controlling both of these invasive mussel species in flowing and static water, and has been effectively applied at power facilities in North America. Under this agreement, SePRO, a leader in the North American Aquatic Invasive Pest Control market, and a recognized expert in providing invasive aquatic weed and algae control solutions, will work with MBI to validate the product’s efficacy, optimize product formulation, and perfect delivery into open water environments with the objective of controlling invasive mussel populations found in lakes, reservoirs, forebays and any other large water impoundments. SePRO will also be conducting a detailed evaluation into the commercial potential for such a product for open water applications, retaining an exclusive North American right to license this technology from MBI for Zequanox products sold into these open water environments. Zequanox will be the first naturally sourced and environmentally safe method for invasive mussel control in open water.
Commenting on the agreement, Marrone Bio Innovations’ founder and CEO Pam Marrone stated: “We are excited to be working in close cooperation with SePRO Corporation to bring this badly needed product into open water aquatic applications. SePRO’s in-depth knowledge and experience with controlling invasive aquatic species in open waters, and their devotion to environmental stewardship, makes them the perfect development partner for commercializing Zequanox in the open water market.”
About Marrone Bio Innovations: Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI) discovers, develops and markets effective and environmentally responsible products that fill unmet needs for weed, disease, and invasive pest management. Through a combination of in-licensed technology and its own R&D, MBI uses plants and naturally occurring microorganisms from unique habitats to develop better and safer pest management products. The company has an impressive pipeline of new products coming, including two insecticides, two herbicides, and Zequanox for controlling invasive zebra and quagga mussels in waterways (EPA pending).
If you would like a copy of the fact sheet, go to http://aquatechnex.com/consult_request.html
