Last checked at 10 May 2010 07:00
10 May, 2010
Plant Health Care plc
("Plant Health Care" or "the Company")
Plant Health Care Announces Collaboration with the Brazilian Government for the Development of Myconate on Corn and Soybeans
Plant Health Care plc (AIM: PHC), a leading provider of naturally derived products to the agriculture and landscape industries,announces that the Federal Government of Brazil has granted funding to support extensive field trials to evaluate the efficacy and economic feasibility of Myconate in Brazilian agriculture.
The funding was awarded based on the merits of a proposal to the Federal University of Lavras through a nationwide competitive grants system for R&D projects in agriculture. Work has already started in the setting up of field trials for the next cropping season that begins in October. Plant Health Care will fully support and co-operate in this programme.
Dr. Fatima Maria de Souza Moreira and Dr. Claudio Soares at the Federal University of Lavras will carry out the field trials, using Myconate on a number of crops. The trials will be conducted following the instructions and requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure they support product registration in Brazil.
The Brazilian scientists, who already have considerable experience with Myconate, are very enthusiastic about the project. They are confident of the potential of Myconate for tropical agriculture where soils are extremely depleted of nutrients.
Plant Health Care's novel Myconate technology helps crops to develop a larger root mass enabling treated crops to prosper under stressful conditions. Myconate works by triggering the colonisation of plant roots by beneficial micro-organisms called mycorrhizal fungi. With more mycorrhizal fungi at work, each plant can draw more nutrients and moisture out of the soil. More nutrients make for healthier plants, and significantly greater overall yields.
Plant Health Care continues to work with several of the world's major seed and agricultural chemical providers towards establishing broad partnering arrangements for Myconate in a wide range of crops.
John Brady, CEO of Plant Health Care commented, "We are delighted with this development which we expect will confirm the utility and value of Myconate in Brazil which has a huge agricultural base with several crops of many millions of acres, such as soybeans and sugarcane, for which we have already seen impressive results with Myconate."
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For further information, please contact:
| Plant Health Care plc |
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| John Brady, Chief Executive Officer |
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| Tel: +1-603-525-3702 |
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| jabrady@planthealthcare.com |
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| Evolution Securities | Tavistock Communications |
| Tim Worlledge / Tim Redfern | Jeremy Carey/Matt Ridsdale |
| Tel: +44-20-7071-4300 | Tel: +44-20-7920-3150 |
| tim.worlledge@evosecuties.com tim.redfern@evosecuties.com | jcarey@tavistock.co.uk mridsdale@tavistock.co.uk |
Notes to editors:
About Plant Health Care plc: Plant Health Care plc ("PHC") is a leading provider of naturally derived products for plants and soil. Established in 1995 in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) in the United States, PHC currently has approximately 90 employees and has operations in the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. The Company's ordinary shares have been quoted on the Alternative Investment Market ("AIM") of the London Stock Exchange since July 2004 and listed on the Official List of the Channel Islands Stock Exchange ("CISX") in February 2010 (ticker symbol/ mnemonic: PHC).
PHC's products are aimed at the agriculture and landscape industries and are environmentally beneficial. Through the commercialisation of these products, PHC is capitalising on current long-term trends toward natural systems and biological products for plant care and soil and water management. Further information is available at: www.planthealthcare.com.