A New Tool for Hemp Growers

DURHAM, N.C., May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With few products approved for use on hemp, Vestaron Corporation is pleased to announce that its Spear^®-Lep bioinsecticide has received EPA approval for adding Hemp to the label.

Spear^®-Lep controls caterpillars, loopers, "worms" and other lepidopteran larvae with the safety and sustainability of biologicals, and with the performance and versatility of traditional synthetics. These pests are difficult to control for all growers, and the expanding hemp industry is addressing this issue head on as armyworms, corn earworms and others increase in pest status.

With an excellent safety profile for pollinators and other beneficials, Spear-Lep also has a short 4-hour restricted-entry interval, a 0-day pre-harvest interval and is MRL exempt. Growers also benefit from Spear-Lep's novel mode of action, recently categorized as the first and only chemistry in the newest IRAC Group 32. When Spear is ingested along with a low label rate of a lepidopteran active Bt product, which disrupts the gut wall, the Spear peptide crosses into the body cavity to reach target sites in the nervous system. The combination of these characteristics makes Spear-Lep a valuable new tool for the protection of high-value field crops, including hemp, and a safe and versatile rotation partner for IPM and insecticide resistance management programs.

"Adding hemp to the Spear-Lep label opens doors for hemp growers to incorporate one of the newest and safest tools for managing troublesome lepidopteran pests," explains Daniel Peck, PhD, field biologist for Vestaron. "Only a handful of products are currently labelled for use in hemp. Among them, Spear-Lep stands out for its performance on par with conventional insecticides, its enviable safety profile, and its easy integration into any rotational program. It's understandable why it might generate a lot of excitement."

The label update for Spear-Lep also includes tobacco as an approved crop. Spear-Lep will be available as a go-to-solution in rotations for tobacco farmers, increasing their options in fighting resistance.

About Vestaron Vestaron is a company dedicated to improving the safety, efficacy, and sustainability of crop protection through migration from synthetic pesticides to peptide-based biopesticides. Vestaron is initially focused on a class of peptides that kills insect pests efficiently, but is safe for humans, beneficial insects, and the environment. As part of this, the company has developed a proprietary platform for peptide optimization and fermentation-based peptide production that will allow it to develop a wide variety of biological crop protection solutions. Vestaron is the winner of the inaugural 2015 Bernard Blum Award for novel biocontrol solutions and a 2020 THRIVE Top 50 Growth-Stage honoree.

More information at www.vestaron.com

SPEAR® is a registered trademark of Vestaron Corporation.

Contacts:
Ben Cicora, SVP Sales & Marketing • (970) 443.9220 • [email protected] 
Sherry Mitchell, Director of Marketing • (919) 609.6704 • [email protected] 

SOURCE Vestaron Corporation

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