Exosect Ltd. enters into a manufacture and licence agreement with one of the largest talc suppliers for seed lubrication in the US, Talc USA, for its patented Entostat-enabled fluency and dust reduction technology. The technology, which will be launched initially into the Canadian market under the trade name Effusion, is based on Exosect’s proprietary formulation delivery platform, Entostat.
The agreement covers the manufacture of the technology and its distribution in Canada where the use of talc and graphite as fluency agents in seed treatments were banned at the start of the 2014 growing season for corn and soybean seed when treated with neonicotinoid insecticides. This ruling followed the conclusion from Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Authority (PMRA) that ‘neonicotinoids present in dust generated during planting of treated corn and soybean seeds contributed to reported bee mortalities in 2012 and 2013.”
The current requirement by Canada’s PMRA is to use a dust-reducing fluency agent.
“We are delighted to be working with Talc USA who is committed to bringing farmers new and innovative technology. The novel electrostatic properties of the Entostat formulation platform ensure strong adherence to the seed enabling enhanced fluency, improved plantability and greater efficiency for seed treatment applications through reduced clumping and missed planting while reducing dust by up to 97 percent,” says Exosect CEO Andrew MacNaughton.
“We strive to be innovative and we are immensely pleased to be able to offer Exosect’s proprietary technology platform to our customers. We are already supplying inoculants and micronutrients to the seed using our blended talc as the delivery system and the addition of the Entostat enabled fluency and dust reduction technology will help us to further differentiate our portfolio,” adds Steve Johnson, Talc USA owner.
