Plant Impact Regulatory News (PIM)

27 Sep 2007 07:01

Plant Impact PLC27 September 2007 27 September 2007 Plant Impact plc ("Plant Impact" or "the Company") Successful field trial confirms nearly 50% yield increases and reduced blossom end rot in tomatoes Plant Impact plc (AIM: PIM), a global developer of technologies that improvecrop productivity by combating the negative effects of environmental stress,today announces the first results from its fresh tomato field trial programme.The trial, conducted in Spain (Almeria) using a combination of Plant Impact'sCaT and PiNT technologies, demonstrated an increase in marketable tomato yieldof between 36% and 48% as well as a reduction in the incidence of blossom endrot from 30% to 8%, when compared to the standard grower practice. Otherbeneficial trial observations were increased fruit homogeneity and increasedfruit setting. Peter Blezard, CEO of Plant Impact commented "The excellent results from ourtrials in Spain clearly demonstrate the ability of our technologies to achievesignificant yield increases for one of the world's most valuable horticulturalcrops. They will also give our sales distribution partners the test data theyneed to help them persuade growers about the economic, ecological andenvironmental benefits that our technologies offer." This trial suggests that the use of Plant Impact technologies on fresh tomatocrops could result in increases in profitability for the grower of between$1,500 and $2,000 per hectare. The global fresh tomato market for Plant Impact's CaT and PiNT technologies hasan estimated current value of $120m and is expected to grow, due to theincreasing demand for fresh tomatoes and the more unpredictable climaticconditions being experienced in the areas where they are grown. Tomatoes are believed to represent one of the most important horticultural cropsin terms of world production and trade. The EU is the biggest single producer offresh tomatoes, followed by the USA, then Turkey. Within the EU, Italy is thebiggest producer by far, followed by Spain, Greece, Portugal and France. Betweenthem Italy and Spain grow almost 9.5 million tonnes of tomatoes a year. Tomato blossom end rot is a physiological disorder that is caused by a lack ofcalcium in the fruit. Unlike traditional products, Plant Impact's CaT technologyovercomes the problem efficiently and specifically, reducing the amount ofagricultural inputs applied to the plants, significantly improving marketableyield to the grower and providing consumers with better quality tomatoes. Plant Impact has a distribution agreement in place with Certis Europe BV("Certis") which supplies Plant Impact's 'anti-stress' products in Spain andPortugal. Certis has a network of over 50 local distributors who supplyapproximately 75,000 growers in the Iberian peninsula. In addition, Plant Impactachieves sales in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region through itsdistribution subsidiary Pi-MENA. - ENDS - For further information, please contact:Plant Impact plcMichael Panteli, Finance Director Tel: + 44 (0) 1772 333 873mike@plantimpact.com www.plantimpact.com Grant Thornton Corporate FinanceNominated AdviserPhilip Secrett Tel: +44 (0) 870 991 2578philip.j.secrett@gtuk.com www.gtuk.com Hichens and CoJeremy Chantry Tel: +44 (0) 20 7382 7791Jeremy.chantry@hichens.com www.hichens.com Fiske plcJames Harrison Tel: +44 (0) 20 7448 4700james.harrison@fiskeplc.com www.fiskeplc.com Media enquiries:AbchurchJustin Heath/Ashley Tapp/Monique Tsang Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7712monique.tsang@abchurch-group.com www.abchurch-group.com About Plant Impact Plant Impact addresses the increasing global demand for effective, sustainableand ecologically-sound products to combat environmental plant stress and improvecrop productivity. Common environmental plant stresses include drought,salinity, nutrient deficiencies, pests and disease. Plant Impact's advancesproduce practical results that reduce inputs and benefit the whole of theagricultural value chain, providing solutions for growers, food manufacturersand consumers. A broad product portfolio has been developed using these innovative andproprietary eco-technologies, the most advanced of which are already beingmarketed and sold through established agricultural distribution networks.Products for the home and garden market are also distributed direct to consumerthrough agreements with reputable high street stores. Current Plant Impact products include: • Alethea(R) - resistance to climate, water and salt stress • CaTTM - resistance to physiological disorders • SpeedoTM - accelerated maturation (more harvests) • PiNTTM - yield improvement in marginal soils • BugOil(R) - 'organic' (benign) pest control For further information please visit www.plantimpact.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange