Shares digital

At a time when food prices are soaring and the crop planting season is fast approaching, news of positive trial results from Plant Impact’s (PIM:AIM) pesticide product, BugOil, should be music to farmers’ ears.

Over the past six months, 25 concurrent field trials have been carried out on BugOil in seven countries. The results have highlighted BugOil’s pest control abilities which are at least equal to those of commonly used pesticides, with BugOil having the added benefit of being environmentally safe. Several field trials on high-value crops such as ornamentals, fruit and vegetables, demonstrated that BugOil has a range of benefits when compared with standard treatments. For example, trials showed significant pest-repellent properties when applied ahead of crop planting, reflected in an increased average crop yield in tomatoes of 42% against standard.

Trials also demonstrated broad-spectrum pest coverage, particularly for ornamentals such as cut flowers. Furthermore, several trials indicated increasing evidence of efficacy, suggesting that BugOil is at least equal to, if not better than, current industry standards. In Chrysanthemums, for example, BugOil showed 100% control of mites three days after application, compared with the 14 days it took the standard to achieve this level. The global ornamental plant market is estimated to be worth $540 million per year with an anticipated growth rate of 4-5%.

In a world where health and environmental awareness is increasing, BugOil also hits all the right notes, leaving no harmful residues and offering pesticide operators a safe way to minimise the risk of pesticide poisoning. ‘We look forward to offering BugOil on a broad commercial scale as it offers a credible answer to many of the most pressing issues on global pesticide use today,’ says chief executive, Peter Blezard.

The group is currently in the process of obtaining UK and US registration for BugOil and last month it successfully raised £1.5 million via a share placing. The shares were unchanged

at 52.5p.

Shares says: The potential for Plant Impact’s technologies remains huge and should provide some tasty rewards to patient investors.