Plant Health Care plc (PHC), a leading provider of naturally derived products to the agriculture and landscape industries, announces that it has signed an exclusive agreement with Germains Seed Technology (Germains), a subsidiary of Associated British Foods plc, to develop and market Plant Health Care’s Harpin proteins as a seed treatment for sugar beets worldwide in combination with Germains’ seed priming technologies. The combined treatments will have the potential to be used on all sugar beet, which annually occupy more than 10 million acres worldwide.

John Brady, CEO of Plant Health Care said: “We are thrilled to be working with yet another world leading company that has recognised the enormous potential of Harpin. The commitment of Germains to invest in the development of Harpin as a component in sugar beet combined with its worldwide market presence again validates the expectations of our Harpin portfolio.”

Harpin is a specific protein that activates a plant’s innate ability to protect itself and enhance growth and yield. The technology offers yield improvement, the suppression of pests like nematodes and protection against damaging diseases, as well as additive plant health benefits.

In trials, Harpin, applied as a seed treatment, has been shown to significantly reduce nematode infestations and increase yields on a variety of crops. PHC currently has a licence in place with Monsanto Company for the use of a specific Harpin protein on major row crops and vegetables. This sugar beet licence is the first of several agreements currently being pursued by the Company in order to deliver Harpin seed treatments to an increasing range of crops and to a larger acreage worldwide.

Germains will invest in the development of Harpin with the goal to include it as a component in its next generation of sugar beet seed treatments. Financial terms of the agreement are confidential but are consistent with the format of the Company’s other partnering arrangements.

The board of PHC believes that this deal clearly demonstrates not only the potential of the Company’s Harpin technologies in higher value specialty crops but also the breadth of potential partners available for the commercialisation of its technologies.

Paul Mullan, Managing Director and CEO of Germains Seed Technology said, “Yield enhancement technologies are a core part of our vision to maximise nature’s potential. This opportunity to work with Plant Health Care will allow us to build industry-leading combinations of the latest technological and biological tools and techniques to enhance the natural potential of sugar beet seed.”

Further information is available at: www.planthealthcare.com