The Future of Biocontrol Agragene is a biotechnology company focused on suppressing invasive crop pests using biological insect control technology. Agragene is committed to working with growers to establish new, more effective integrated pest management strategies. Agragene is commercializing biological crop pest control agents that are non- polluting and thus environmentally safe and acceptable. Biocontrol reduces the use of environmentally unsafe chemicals. This encourages a more natural ecological balance providing a safe harbor for beneficial insects, such as bees and ladybugs. Insecticide resistance is decreased which enhances the effectiveness of integrated pest management. KNOCK-OUT™ Agragene has licensed precision-guided sterile insect technology™ (pgSIT™) developed at the University of California for worldwide use on all crops and all crop pest insect species. Agragene is developing an integrated pest management system for biocontrol of spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and has begun field trials in Oregon. BORDER PATROL™ In addition to its pgSIT™, Agragene is commercializing another biocontrol product for SWD. Border Patrol™ is an “Attract-and-Kill” trap that will be used as part of an integrated pest management program. DOING MORE WITH LESS Agragene is backed by Ospraie Ag Science LLC (OAS). OAS identifies solutions to help farmers “Do More With Less.” Utilizing its extensive network and 25 years of experience investing in agriculture, OAS is positioned to help farmers achieve a sustainable future. “Agragene’s pgSIT platform has enormous potential to disrupt the $19 billion pesticide market.” Carl Casale Senior Partner, Ospraie Ag Science agragene.com
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The Future of Biocontrol Agragene is a biotechnology company focused on suppressing invasive crop pests using biological insect control technology.
Agragene is committed to working with growers to establish new, more effective integrated pest management strategies. Agragene is commercializing biological crop pest control agents that are non-polluting and thus environmentally safe and acceptable. Biocontrol reduces the use of environmentally unsafe chemicals. This encourages a more natural ecological balance providing a safe harbor for beneficial insects, such as bees and ladybugs. Insecticide resistance is decreased which enhances the effectiveness of integrated pest management.
KNOCK-OUT™Agragene has licensed precision-guided sterile insect technology™ (pgSIT™) developed at the University of California for worldwide use on all crops and all crop pest insect species. Agragene is developing an integrated pest management system for biocontrol of spotted wing drosophila (SWD) and has begun field trials in Oregon.
BORDER PATROL™In addition to its pgSIT™, Agragene is commercializing another biocontrol product for SWD. Border Patrol™ is an “Attract-and-Kill” trap that will be used as part of an integrated pest management program.
DOING MORE WITH LESSAgragene is backed by Ospraie Ag Science LLC (OAS). OAS identifies solutions to help farmers “Do More With Less.” Utilizing its extensive network and 25 years of experience investing in agriculture, OAS is positioned to help farmers achieve a sustainable future.
“Agragene’s pgSIT platform has enormous potential to disrupt the $19 billion pesticide market.”
Carl CasaleSenior Partner, Ospraie Ag Science
agragene.com
z Free monitoring report
z Insights from entomologists and pest control experts
z Established program in the Northern Willamette Valley, OR
z Future studies throughout Oregon, Washington and California
z Opportunity to participate in additional research studies
About Border Patrol™ Agragene’s Semiochemical Trap
Get Our Free SWD Report at agragene.com/growers
Contact Us and learn more
Border Patrol™ has been developed to revolutionize the global integrated pest management of SWD in multiple fruit and berry crops with a safe, effective, and precise product.
Border Patrol™ is a semiochemical “trap” that utilizes a fruit-derived extract formulated with long lasting humectants and stabilizers and applied to a biodegradeable fiber mat. The mat is deployed under irrigation drip lines only at the outside border of the crop. SWD females that fly close to the mat are lured to the attractant. They then deposit their eggs onto the mat. As the eggs dry out they do not hatch and therefore the pest population naturally
declines without the use of pesticides. Importantly, the females only have a limited egg supply and by depositing them on the mat at the field border the fruit in the interior is protected from further damage.
This will lead to a significant reduction in the use of chemical insecticides thus reducing costs to growers and restoring ecological balance through increased survival of beneficial insects.
Agragene has established a program to help growers monitor spotted wing drosophila (SWD) populations year-round by trapping in natural border habitats surrounding agricultural fields.
These settings enable Agragene to assist growers in observing where SWD take refuge, feed, and breed (with suitable hosts present) and track how their relative populations shift over time. As we continue to collect data, we will be able to compare year to year SWD pressure, and make general forecasts which should help empower growers to make decisions on intensity of field management.
Agragene has initially placed traps in locations over a wide region of Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley. We plan to expand the program to include other regions in Oregon, Washington and California in order to best serve the needs of as many growers as possible. Growers can sign-up for free to obtain comprehensive SWD reports including insights from Agragene’s entomologists and pest control advisers.
Contact Agragene to learn more about Border Patrol™, the Agragene SWD Drosophila Report and how to participate in Agragene’s field studies.
Visit agragene.com/growers for more information.
*Knock-Out™ and Border Patrol™ are undergoing field trials and are not yet commercially available. Please sign up at agragene.com for updates.
