Invasive Mussel Control Product Showcased in Ontario Ministry of the Environment Ceremony Honoring

July 15, 2009 - PRLog -- Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada -  – Zequanox  a natural product developed by Marrone Bio Innovations for the control of invasive zebra and quagga mussels, will play an important role in today’s induction of Ontario Power Generation’s Niagara Plant Group (NPG) into Ontario’s Environmental Leaders Program. This prestigious program recognizes the Niagara Plant Group’s commitment to efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

Pam Marrone, CEO of Marrone Bio Innovations, will attend the ceremony and address invited guests about the development of the effective biopesticide for controlling destructive zebra and quagga mussels. A trial application of Zequanox will follow the induction ceremony. Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Hon. John Gerretson, will be present to personally honor NPG’s accomplishments and to witness a Zequanox demonstration at the DeCew 2 Generating Station.

“Developing effective, innovative, user-friendly products is a team effort,” said Pam Marrone, who founded Marrone Bio Innovations in 2006. “We applaud NPG’s leadership, especially Tony Van Oostrom, Ontario Power Generation’s Senior Environmental Advisor for the Niagara Plant Group, and are grateful for the opportunity to measure Zequanox performance under realistic environmental conditions. As a result, all facilities impacted by invasive mussels will have quicker access to this effective, environmentally safe solution and realize more efficient operations without the use of potentially harmful substances like chlorine.” “We appreciate the discovery and subsequent years of research by Dr. Dan Molloy and his team at the New York State Museum Field Research Laboratory, which have allowed us to move this product to the market,” she added.

Zebra and quagga mussels, both invasive species, have had a multi-billion dollar impact on the North American economy and have significantly disrupted freshwater ecosystems since their accidental introduction, in the mid-1980’s, from eastern European ships discharging mussel contaminated ballast water into the Great Lakes. The mussels cause damage by clogging intake pipes and internal operating structures that draw water from infested lakes and rivers, disrupting biodiversity and aquatic food chains by coating substrates of lakes and reservoirs. The mussels also attach to boats, including hulls and  
Invasive Mussel Control page 2 2121 Second Street, Suite B-107 • Davis, CA 95618 • Phone: 530-750-2800

outdrives, as well as engine intakes, which leads to overheating and increased drive train wear.

Research trials have shown that although Zequanox is quite effective at controlling these invasive mussels. Toxicology tests have demonstrated it is safe to mammals, to the environment and to important native, aquatic species.

In 2007, Marrone Bio Innovations entered into a commercial partnership with the New York State Museum, which discovered the naturally occurring soil microorganism that is the basis for the active ingredient in Zequanox. Since that time, Marrone has been working on developing and refining the product; creating stable, highly effective and user-friendly formulations; testing prototypes in laboratory and field settings; and scaling the production of the microbe from a small flask up to a full-scale manufacturing facility.

The trials being conducted at the DeCew 2 Generating Station have been reviewed and permitted by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Final regulatory approval of Zequanox in both the US and Canada is anticipated in 2010.

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Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI) discovers, develops and markets effective and environmentally responsible products that fill unmet needs for weed, disease and pest management. MBI’s effective and safe products come from a combination of in-licensed technology and its own discovery. The company’s own R&D finds naturally occurring microorganisms from unique habitats and develops them into products for controlling insects, weeds, nematodes and plant diseases. MBI has an impressive pipeline of new products, including two insecticides, two herbicides in addition to Zequanox. MBI currently markets RegaliaSC for control of fungal and bacterial diseases of both food and ornamental crops, and GreenMatch___ Burndown Herbicide for weed control in organic crop production. For more information, visit www.marronebioinnovations.com.