DAVIS, Calif. and MORRISVILLE, N.C., March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc.  (NASDAQ: MBII) and Isagro USA, Inc (Isagro) are pleased to announce a distribution agreement under which Marrone Bio will distribute the Isagro Trichoderma based biofungicide to agricultural crop markets in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona under the Bio-Tam® 2.0 brand.

"While seeking a distribution partner for Bio-Tam 2.0 in the U.S., we were looking for a company that understood the unique way that biologicals are used and adopted in the marketplace," said Mike Allan, President of Isagro USA. "Marrone Bio Innovations knows the value of biologicals and what they bring to integrated pest and disease management programs."

Bio-Tam 2.0 is part of the next generation of biofungicides with a proven combination of two species of beneficial Trichoderma fungi.  Bio-Tam 2.0, formulated as a wettable powder, is used in the management of soil-borne diseases including the following: Fusarium spp., Phytophthora spp., Pythium spp., Rhizoctonia spp., Sclerotinia spp., Sclerotium rolfsii, Thielaviopsis basicola, and Verticillium spp, as well as Armillaria sp. and Rosellinia sp. These soil-borne root and collar rot diseases affect a wide range of vegetable, fruit, row and ornamental crops.

Bio-Tam 2.0 can be used on most crops, including fruiting vegetables, leafy vegetables and cucurbits, and is an effective tool to reduce the stress of disease infections associated with many soil-borne pathogens. Bio-Tam 2.0 aggressively colonizes the crop roots and surrounding soil. It acts as a protectant, forming a barrier that is antagonistic to disease infection. Bio-Tam 2.0 also attacks the pathogen cell walls with enzymes that actively inhibit disease infection.

"We believe this addition to our portfolio will benefit our customers by giving them a second fungicide to choose from, as well as a distinct product for the control of grapevine trunk diseases," said Pam Marrone, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Marrone Bio Innovations.

Bio-Tam 2.0 complements the Marrone Bio portfolio by adding a second option for fungal control to its product lineup. Bio-Tam 2.0 also supports the California, Oregon and Washington grape and wine grape industries with a solution for grapevine trunk disease. According to  University of California pest management guidelines, every vineyard is likely to become infected with one or more trunk diseases at some point during the life of the vineyard.

Bio-Tam 2.0 recently gained EPA registration for the grapevine trunk disease caused by Phaeomoniella spp. (part of the Esca fungal disease complex).   The Esca disease complex is responsible for significant economic losses to the wine and grape industry worldwide. A California Department of Pesticide Registration decision is pending. Bio-Tam 2.0 controls a range of soil-borne diseases and is an excellent complement when used with Regalia® Biofungicide. 

About Marrone Bio Innovations
Smart. Natural. Solutions.
Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (NASDAQ: MBII) aims to lead the movement to a more sustainable world through the discovery, development and promotion of biological products for pest management and plant health. Our effective and environmentally responsible solutions help customers operate more sustainably while controlling pests, improving plant health, and increasing crop yields. We have four products for agriculture on the market (Regalia, Grandevo®, Venerate® and Majestene™), a proprietary discovery process, a rapid development platform, and a robust pipeline of pest management and plant health product candidates. At Marrone Bio Innovations we are dedicated to pioneering better biopesticides that support a better tomorrow for users around the globe. For more information, please visit www.marronebio.com.

About Isagro USA, Inc.
Isagro USA, Inc. is headquartered in Morrisville, NC (Research Triangle Park) and is a subsidiary of Isagro S.p.A, based in Milan, Italy. Isagro S.p.A. is a global discoverer, manufacturer, formulator and marketer of crop protection products with a portfolio based on proprietary molecules coming from its own research and development unit. Besides its presence in the U.S.A., Isagro holds subsidiaries in some key markets and serves customers in around 70 countries. For more information, visit www.isagro-usa.com andwww.isagro-usa.com

Marrone Bio Innovations Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations and plans, including assumptions underlying such statements, are forward-looking statements, and should not be relied upon as representing MBI's views as of any subsequent date. Examples of such statements include statements regarding the market for and potential benefits of Bio-Tam 2.0, expectations for California regulatory approvals for Bio-Tam 2.0,  and MBI's ability to successfully distribute Bio-Tam 2.0. Such forward-looking statements are based on information available to the Company as of the date of this release and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, some beyond the Company's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by these forward-looking statements, including any difficulty in marketing Bio-Tam 2.0 with MBI's principal customers, competition in the market for pest management products, lack of understanding of bio-based pest management products by customers and growers, and adverse decisions by regulatory agencies.  Additional information that could lead to material changes in MBI's performance is contained in its filings with the SEC. MBI is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to, update or alter forward-looking statements contained in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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SOURCE Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc.