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AgraQuest Researchers Highlight the Benefits of New Soil Disease Management Technology at Key Agriculture Industry Events

AgraQuest, Inc.'s Dr. Magalie Guilhabert-Goya, Group Leader for Microbiology, today presented "QST 713: A Microbe with Two Tales" at the 60th annual meeting of the Society for Industry Microbiology in San Francisco. Dr. Guilhabert-Goya focused her presentation on the strengths of the...

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AgraQuest, Inc.'s Dr. Magalie Guilhabert-Goya, Group Leader for Microbiology, today presented "QST 713: A Microbe with Two Tales" at the 60th annual meeting of the Society for Industry Microbiology in San Francisco. Dr. Guilhabert-Goya focused her presentation on the strengths of the patented active ingredient Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 contained in AgraQuest's SERENADE@ family of biofungicides.

These strengths, including activation of plants' natural defenses, growth promotion and resistance to abiotic stress, make AgraQuest's proprietary Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 a valuable tool for both foliar and soil disease control in production agriculture. Field studies in potatoes, tomatoes and cucurbits demonstrate average yield increases of 12 to 15% when treated with SERENADE SOIL fungicide.

"Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 is a unique microbe, effective as a fungicide in both foliar applications and in the soil," said Dr. Guilhabert-Goya. "While foliar activity is driven by the patented metabolites known as lipopeptides, in the soil QST 713 adds plant growth promoting and stress modulation activity." Dr. Guilhabert-Goya's presentation kicks off a series of scientific and agrochemical industry presentations by AgraQuest technical personnel introducing this valuable new technology.

Next week, Dr. Paul Walgenbach, Field Development Manager for AgraQuest, will present at the American Phytopathological Society Annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., highlighting the bio-pesticide technology underlying SERENADE SOIL fungicide. Dr. Walgenbach will detail multiple modes of action of SERENADE SOIL fungicide, highlighting root colonization which results in a dense armor protecting the developing root from soil diseases. Dr. Walgenbach will also discuss the product's ability to regulate plant physiology, stimulating growth and thus allowing plants to grow normally under stressed conditions.

Additionally, Dr. Denise Manker, Vice President of Global Product Development for AgraQuest, will present SERENADE SOIL fungicide at the sixth Australasian Soilborne Diseases Symposium in Queensland, Australia. "This technology is very exciting," said Dr. Manker. "SERENADE SOIL gives growers a new tool for controlling soil diseases and optimizing yield, and fits squarely within AgraQuest's mission to advance today's agricultural revolution for cleaner, safer food through effective biopesticides and innovative technologies for sustainable, highly productive farming and a better environment."

SERENADE SOIL is registered for use in the U.S., with registrations in additional countries pending. SERENADE SOIL is the first product in a planned portfolio of soil fungicides from AgraQuest.

About AgraQuest, Inc.

AgraQuest is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, manufacturing and marketing highly effective pest management products for agricultural, institutional and home markets. The company holds a large portfolio of its own proprietary products, as well as actively in-licenses technology that fits into its low-chem portfolio. As a leader in green agriculture and the emerging low-chem sector, AgraQuest works to provide growers with solutions that offer best in class control while reducing the chemical load on the environment and creating sustainable agriculture opportunities. The Agrochemical division of AgraQuest offers a global portfolio of products -- recognized as safer to beneficials, workers and the environment -- that includes SERENADE@, SERENADE@ Garden, RHAPSODY@, SONATA@, and BALLAD@ fungicides and REQUIEM@ insecticide. AgraQuest's BioInnovations division provides the company an avenue to take biological and low-chemical technology created for the agriculture industry and discover innovative uses for it in related markets. AgraQuest has received several environmental awards including the Presidential Green Chemistry Award from the U.S. EPA for the discovery and commercialization of SERENADE. It also received the prestigious Global Frost & Sullivan Growth Leadership Award in 2009 for the biopesticides market. For more information visit www.agraquest.com (http://www.agraquest.com) .

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