Plant Health Care PLC Update on PHC279 2019 Field Trials (9614N)
27 Mayo 2020 - 01:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMPHC
RNS Number : 9614N
Plant Health Care PLC
27 May 2020
RNS
27 May 2020
PLANT HEALTH CARE plc
("Plant Health Care" or the "Company")
Update on PHC279 2019 Field Trials
Plant Health Care(R) , a leading provider of novel
patent-protected biological products to global agriculture markets,
is pleased to provide the following update on its completed 2019
field trials of the PREtec peptide PHC279 for the control of plant
diseases in corn, wheat and lettuce crops.
Highlights:
US Corn
- PHC 279 increased corn yields by 9-15% when applied as a
foliar spray, creating potential grower value of $54 - $82 per acre
at current average prices.
- PHC279 significantly improved the control of two key corn
diseases by as much as 50%, even under heavy disease pressure.
Spring wheat
- PHC279 increased yield by as much as 17% when added to the
standard disease control program, which is worth $86 per acre at
current prices.
Lettuce
- PHC279 increased yield by as much as 22% compared to fungicides alone.
- PHC279 also improved disease control as much as 31% following foliar application.
In the US, 91m acres of corn were planted in 2019. Severe
southern rust disease can routinely reduce corn yields as much as
25 bushels per acre. At current prices, this would equate to lost
revenue for the farmer of $79 per acre. In historical epidemics of
southern corn leaf blight, yields were reduced by 20 to 25 percent
nationwide, resulting in an estimated $1 billion loss in harvest.
In the Company's trials, when PHC279 was applied together with a
leading chemical fungicide, it significantly improved control of
both diseases compared to the fungicide treatment alone, and yields
were increased by as much as 26 bushels per acre depending on
application timing. Even a more modest benefit of 5-10 bushels per
acre is likely to provide an attractive return on investment in the
potential range of 5:1 to 8:1 for farmers who apply PHC279 to their
fields.
In the UK, when PHC279 was applied to spring wheat seeds prior
to planting, followed by adding it to the standard spray fungicide
program, yield was increased by as much as 17% in fields with
Septoria tritici blotch, the major disease of wheat in the UK. At
current prices, this yield benefit would be worth $86 per acre to
the farmer.
Lettuce drop disease is a major pathogen affecting US lettuce
cultivation. In a series of US field trials inoculated with
Sclerotinia , the causative agent of lettuce drop disease, PHC279
treated plants yielded as much as 22% more than plants treated only
with the standard chemical fungicide program. With an acre of
lettuce worth more than $10,000 in the US in 2018, even a modest
increase in lettuce yield will likely justify the cost of applying
PHC279.
Plant Health Care's PREtec peptides stimulate the plant to
defend itself. Derived from natural proteins, this is a novel,
environmentally friendly approach to protecting crops and
increasing yields, compatible with mainstream agricultural
practice. PHC279 may allow farmers to reduce applications of toxic
fungicides or to achieve better control of disease.
Gary L. Cloud, Ph.D., a research agronomist and owner of GLC
Consulting, Inc. participated in the testing of PHC279 in corn this
season, and offered the following, "There was heavy disease
pressure and PHC279 provided visible improvement in disease control
and higher yield compared to the standard fungicide when applied
early in the growing season. That is somewhat amazing due to the
time that elapsed between application and harvest. I believe PHC279
will be a valuable tool for corn growers struggling to control
disease in their fields."
Chris Richards, CEO of Plant Health Care, said "We are extremely
encouraged with the performance of PHC279 in multiple key crops.
Building on our recent success with PHC279 for the control of Asian
soybean rust in Brazil, it is clear PHC279 will have important
benefits for farmers in many crops. The registration of our first
PREtec peptide is progressing in the US and Brazil and the scale-up
of manufacturing has started. We are excited about the potential
for products based on our PREtec peptides, which are targeting
markets with an initial opportunity of $5 billion. We aim to launch
the first peptides as soon as regulatory permits have been
obtained, to offer these valuable new tools to growers in the US
and other countries."
For further information, please contact:
Plant Health Care plc
Chris Richards, CEO Tel: +1 919 926 1600
Arden Partners plc - Nomad & Broker
John Llewellyn-Lloyd / Dan Gee-Summons Tel: +44 (0) 20 7614
5900
Company website: www.planthealthcare.com
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.
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END
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