PHC.L Regulatory News (PHC)

15 Feb 2007 09:04

Plant Health Care PLC15 February 2007 15 February 2007 PLANT HEALTH CARE FORMS PARTNERSHIP WITH AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION Plant Health Care Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plant Health Care plc("Plant Health Care") and The American Soybean Association ("ASA") announce the2007 "N-Hibit Partnership" field trail programme that will evaluate PlantHealth Care's N-Hibit Seed Treatment, as a tool to lower Soyabean Cyst Nematode(SCN) and improve soybean plant health, during the 2007 growing season. The ASA represents a significant majority of the US soybean growers who plantedsome 75 million acres of soybeans in the US last year. N-Hibit is a dry material that is not a restricted use product. It is easy toapply, has an excellent safety profile and leaves no residuals in the water,soil or on plants. University field research has shown that N-Hibit reduces SCN eggs significantly.Other replicated and commercial research trails have also shown that N-Hibitincreases root and plant growth and increases soybean yield by about 6.5 percent per acre. The active ingredient in N-Hibit and other Harp-N-Tek products is harpinprotein, which is produced by disease causing bacteria that attack plants.Harp-N-Tek products do not contain pathogens, but cause the plant to respond asthough being attacked. Harpin proteins do not enter the plant. They bind withthe plant's external harpin protein receptors, which are present on seed, aswell as foliage. This turns on the plant's natural self defence and growthsystems. Then the harpin proteins harmlessly disintegrate ASA Vice President, Rob Joslin said: "ASA views this field trial program as anopportunity for its members to maximize soybean yield and profitability, andreduce the threat of SCN damage. We believe soybean growers will want to conducttheir own on-farm trials to determine results with N-Hibit on a commercial scaleunder their own growing conditions and management systems to help document theperformance of this seed treatment." John Brady CEO of Plant Health Care said: "We are delighted to be working withthe ASA on the Field Trail Programme for N-Hibit, as it will show soybeangrowers across the US that this product is highly effective and can help themincrease yield per acre and hence their profits. This is the best introductionto the soybean industry and as a result of this association we fully expectsignificant penetration into this huge market by 2008/2009". For further information contact: Plant Health Care plcJohn Brady, CEO; phone: +1 603 525 3702E-Mail: jabrady@planthealthcare.com Tavistock ComunicationsJeremy Carey/Matt Ridsdale, phone: +44 20 7920 3150E-Mail: jcarey@tavistock.co.uk, mridsdale@tavistock.co.uk Notes to Editors: About Plant Health Care:Plant Health Care plc ("PHC") is a leading provider of natural products forplants and soil. Established in 1995 in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) in the UnitedStates, PHC currently has approximately 70 employees and has operations in theUS, Mexico, UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. The Company listed on the AIM marketof the London Stock Exchange in July 2004. Ticker symbol is PHC. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange