EPA Registration for SmartBlock® Sprout inhibitor of American Vanguard

American Vanguard Corporation (NYSE:AVD) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, AMVAC Chemical Corporation (AMVAC), has received registration from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for SmartBlock®, a novel potato sprout inhibitor. Additionally, Canadian and European registrations have been filed and these approvals are progressing on schedule.

SmartBlock represents a patented, new class of potato sprout inhibitors which offer a breakthrough approach for eliminating sprouting in storage and restoring dormancy to potato tubers.

The product (3-decen-2-one) is a naturally-occurring molecule, which is also classified (by the FDA) as an approved direct food additive and by EPA as a biopesticide. It provides a safe, rapid sprout burn-off on all varieties of potatoes without affecting potato quality and is easily applied through existing fogging equipment. It is exempt from the requirement of a tolerance.

Eric Wintemute, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company commented: “The registration of SmartBlock significantly expands AMVAC’s potato product portfolio, which include offerings from pre-planting through post-harvest storage. It enables potato storage managers to utilize a novel, efficacious and green approach for sprout control. We believe SmartBlock offers a preferred alternative to the widely-used carbamate, chlorpropham (CIPC) and based on the excellent results observed in our European trials, we expect there are significant additional opportunities for SmartBlock in other international markets.

Glen Johnson, Senior Vice-President of AMVAC commented: “This technology was discovered by researchers at Washington State University (WSU) and has been developed and globally tested by AMVAC for over seven years. It is the first commercial offering to emerge from our new product development pipeline which continues to license innovative technologies from a wide range of university and industry partners. We expect that a number of such projects will contribute to our continuing growth in both agricultural and specialty sectors in the future.”

Anson Fatland, Director of the WSU’s Intellectual Property office said, “We are very pleased to have partnered with AMVAC on the SmartBlock technology. As a result of this very productive and collaborative research relationship, additional intellectual property was developed which has made this technology portfolio very robust.”

Mr. Wintemute concluded: “We anticipate this new approach to sprout control will be widely embraced by grocery chains, quick service restaurants and consumer food processors to reduce the overall chemical residues in potatoes. This excellent example of proprietary product development is part of our commitment to deliver Yield Enhancement Solutions® worldwide that improve the production of food, fiber and biofuels.”

Source: American Vanguard Corporation