In North Carolina, AgBiome is looking to register its first commercial product—a biological fungicide—this spring.
The fungicide, dubbed Zio, is a fermented microbial strain developed from Pseudomonas chlororaphis that prevents soilborne diseases caused by Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora and Pythium, as well as foliar diseases, including Anthracnose and Fusarium blight.
Zio has three modes of action. It acts as an antimicrobial, impacting fungal metabolic processes. It also triggers plant pathogen resistance and has enzymes that break down fungal walls and prevents fungal spores from infecting plants.
SePRO Corporation will distribute Zio to the turf and ornamentals market. “The AgBiome discovery and development platform is unlike any we’ve seen, and we are excited to introduce this technology to our customers,” Mark Brotherton, SePRO’s Ornamentals Portfolio Leader, tells Greenhouse Grower.
AgBiome, whose financial backers include Monsanto, Novozymes, Syngenta, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is also working to launch the product in specialty ag/food crops market, where it will be called Howler.