Jan 14, 2017

BVT begins commercial demonstrations in Florida

Bee Vectoring Technologies has entered into formal agreements with several U.S. strawberry growers to conduct large-scale commercial demonstrations of its proprietary growing system. The demonstrations in Florida will begin in January.

The commercial-scale demos represent an opportunity for growers to see how the BVT system can be incorporated into their crop production practices on a commercial scale, according to the company.

BVT previously announced that results from the replicated trials in the 2016 season on strawberries showed reductions in gray mold disease when the BVT system was used in conjunction with chemical fungicides by up to 40 percent compared to treatments when the fungicides were used alone. Gray mold is a common and costly disease in strawberries and causes the fruit to rot and reduces the shelf life of the berries. The results further showed increases in marketable yield up to 30 percent with the BVT delivery system, BVT reported.

The company has submitted its biological fungicide BVT CR-7 for regulatory approval with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Once these approvals are secured the company will be able to capture full value for its technology and make claims about its efficacy in managing crop diseases.