Valent BioSciences Corporation today announced that the Chilean registration authorities, Servicio Agricola y Ganadero, have approved ProTone SL? Plant Growth Regulator for enhancing color development in red table grapes. This represents the first registration of abscisic acid (S-ABA), a new active ingredient, which has numerous potential crop quality and stress management applications.
This approval comes after several years of successful field-testing of ProTone under experimental use programs in Chile, the United States, South Africa, Australia and other countries.

"Through our extensive global research efforts, we have been able to demonstrate that ProTone can enhance color and provide harvest flexibility in commercially important red table grape varieties such as Crimson Seedless, Flame Seedless and Red Globe under a variety of growing conditions," said Johan Pienaar, Global PGR Business Manager for Valent BioSciences.

Chile is known for the production of top-quality table grapes exported to many destinations around the world. Improved coloring of red grapes is an important unmet need for table grape producers in Chile, and Pienaar said that ProTone SL not only fits this need but will "raise the bar" for what the industry expects in table grape appearance and quality. He also added that registrations of ProTone are expected soon in South Africa, the United States and Australia.

Quality and Crop Stress Management Applications

Mike Donaldson, president and CEO of Valent BioSciences Corporation, said the active ingredient in ProTone SL ?§C abscisic acid (S-ABA) ?§C has both quality and stress management applications for many types of agricultural and horticultural crops. Abscisic acid is one of the five classes of plant growth regulators naturally present in plants. In addition to anthocyanin (color) development, S-ABA regulates numerous key processes in plants, including responses to stress conditions, dormancy, maturation, abscission and growth.

"While this is the first registration for use of S-ABA anywhere in the world, it certainly won't be the last," Donaldson said. "We have a robust intellectual property portfolio for this valuable molecule and have been involved in its development for a number of years. We anticipate expanding the number of registrations for ProTone and companion S-ABA products in the near future.
"As the global leader in biorational product development and commercialization, we are committed to the development of plant growth regulators for use in many markets," Donaldson added.

ProTone SL will be marketed as a 10% soluble liquid formulation for Chilean table grape growers and will be available for the 2009/2010 table grape season.
Valent BioSciences Corporation, headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois (USA), is a worldwide leader in the research, development and commercialization of low-risk, environmentally compatible technologies and products for the agricultural, public health, forestry and household insecticide markets. For more information, contact Valent BioSciences Corporation toll-free at 800-323-9597, or visit the company's Web site, www.valentbiosciences.com.