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Contact: Jake Mortensen, 530-750-0150 x 114
Marketing Specialist, AgraQuest
jmortensen@agraquest.com
Contact: Jeff Crampton, 519-268-5903
National Product Manager, UAP Canada
jcrampton@uap.ca
AgraQuest Inc. Launches RHAPSODY® ASO Biofungicide into Canadian Ornamental Market
DAVIS, Calif. (Jan. 8, 2008) – AgraQuest Inc., a leading provider of effective and safe pest management and plant health products, announced today that it has received approval of a Canadian label for its biofungicide RHAPSODY® ASO for use in the ornamental markets. RHAPSODY ASO will be available immediately through UAP Canada.
"The introduction of RHAPSODY ASO into the Canadian market is an important strategic goal for AgraQuest," said Chris Coombs, V.P. North America for AgraQuest. "We expect that biological nature of this product will be a strong selling point for the Canadian market."
RHAPSODY ASO is labeled in Canada for a number of the most common diseases found in ornamental flowers and plants, including Powdery Mildew, Leaf Spot and Botrytis. Derived from a naturally occurring bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, RHAPSODY is an effective, yet safe, alternative to traditional synthetic chemistries.
"RHAPSODY ASO is a welcome addition for both conventional and organic ornamental greenhouse growers in Canada," said Jeff Crampton, National Product Manager of UAP Canada. "It's a very effective broad spectrum biofungicide that provides protection on bedding plants, potted plants and foliage, while being non-toxic to beneficial insects."
RHAPSODY has a zero-day pre-harvest interval and a four-hour restricted entry interval providing growers minimal interruption following sprays. The RHAPSODY brand has been sold in the U.S. ornamental market since it was introduced in 2003.
About AgraQuest
AgraQuest is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing, manufacturing and marketing effective, safe and environmentally friendly natural pest management products for agricultural, institutional and home markets. The company sells SERENADE®, SERENADE® Garden, RHAPSODY®, SONATA® and BALLAD® fungicides. AgraQuest received the Presidential Green Chemistry Award from the EPA for the discovery and commercialization of SERENADE Biofungicide. In 2004, AgraQuest received a Red Herring Top 100 Private Company Award and the World Technology Award for the Environment. The company's headquarters are located in Davis, California.
About UAP Canada
Founded in 1978, United Agri Products (UAP) is the largest distributor of agricultural and non-crop inputs in the United States and Canada. UAP markets a comprehensive line of products, including crop protection chemicals and plant nutrients to national and regional dealers. UAP's extensive infrastructure is a critical element of their supplier's route-to-market, as it enables them to reach a highly fragmented customer base
Certain matters contained in the press release concerning AgraQuest, Inc. are forward-looking statements which are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the receipt of EPA and other regulatory approval of the Company’s products, the success of the Company’s products in field trials and the timely development, manufacture and marketing and acceptance of the Company’s products in the marketplace.