Green Grain Store Pest Control Product Moves Closer to Commercialization

An Exosect-led consortium has been awarded a quarter of a million pound grant ($396,782 U.S. dollars) from the Technology Strategy Board to bring to market pioneering biotechnology for the control of grain store pests.

The consortium, led by UK-based Intelligent Pest Management company,  Exosect, and consisting of CABI, FERA, Sylvan Bio and Connaught Pest Prevention, have worked together for more than four years during a Sustainable Arable LINK funded project to identify an effective fungal pathogen for the control of a range of key grain insect pests.  The outcome of the LINK funded project was so successful that the consortium has just been awarded a significant grant, through the Technology Strategy Board’s ‘New Approaches to Crop Protection’ funding competition, which will enable the consortium to complete product development, create data for the regulatory authorities and bring the product to market.

The product is a formulation of the entomopathagenic fungus, Beauvaria bassiana, and Exosect’s patented delivery system, Entostat  powder. A patent for the composite formulation has been filed.  The product will be used in grain storage and processing structures, which are coming under consumer and legislative pressure to reduce their use of traditional pesticides.

Martin Brown, managing director at Exosec, said, “This grant is invaluable as it means that the extensive work carried out to date can continue until a product is commercialized”. Brown continues “The global market for insecticide use in grain storage is estimated to be £90m and this excludes processing. The development work so far shows that this technology could easily be adapted to protect commodities beyond the cereals market, such as rice, dried fruit, nuts and pulses.”

Exosect added that the product's initial focus will be Europe, but the company has plans so make it available in the U.S. However, since the product is still in the developmental phase there is no timeline for U.S. availability.

For more information about Exosect visit www.exosect.com