Bee Vectoring Technologies announces a second year of successful seed treatment trial results

Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (the ″Company″ or ″BVT″) (CSE: BEE) (OTCQB: BEVVF) (CVE:BEE) announced positive second year trial results demonstrating the efficacy of BVT’s proprietary biological control agent Clonostachys rosea strain CR-7 (CR-7) as a seed treatment on soybeans.

Compared to the first-year trials, the second-year included measuring CR-7’s effect on soybean yields. Year 2 trial data established that adding CR-7 over base seed treatment results in soybean plants producing higher yields as measured over 16 replicated plots across four locations when compared to the biological standard, and that CR-7 was equivalent to the chemical standard in terms of effectiveness. Other measures on plant health, vigor and plant biomass showed the same positive outcomes as in the first year, indicating the scalability of BVT’s proprietary CR-7 in the soybean seed treatment market.

″Wherever CR-7 was applied, the results outperformed the base seed treatment 81% of the time. We observed, on average, a three-bushel yield per acre increase with CR-7 added, which is about 4% higher than the base seed treatment. Although that may not sound dramatic, that is a meaningful improvement for a treatment that was applied at the very early stages of the planting season. Most seed treatments are designed to protect the seed from pests, but to see a positive increase in the yield at the end of the season is impressive,″ said Dr. Mason Newark, Field Technical Manager at BVT.

Year 1 and 2 trials were conducted in partnership with well-established soybean researchers in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, with a fourth location in Nebraska added in 2022 and resulted in consistently positive results year over year across all the states that have had trials so far. The 2022 trials continued assessing the efficacy of CR-7 added over base seed treatment on plant biomass and vigor, and demonstrated its effectiveness as a treatment against disease and soybean crop yields.

Above: Iowa trial site with soybean plants grown from seed with CR-7 added over the base seed treatment (left) compared to another site with plants grown with seed containing just the base seed treatment (right). Note the more robust rows of plants on the left photo.

″Our corporate market strategy is to initially focus on soybeans as it’s a major row crop where major multinationals are heavily invested in,″ said Ashish Malik, CEO of BVT. There are 320 million acres grown globally, with 86 million acres in the US, 98 million in Brazil and 40 million in Argentina.(1) 80% of American soybeans receive seed treatment before planting, and approximately 50% undergo a biological inoculant treatment.

Above: Iowa trial site with soybean plants grown from seed with CR-7 added over the base seed treatment (left) compared to another site with plants grown with seed containing just the base seed treatment (right). Note the more robust rows of plants on the left photo.

The seed treatment market is specialized, with different and distinct channels in the major growing regions. A deep understanding of the genetics of seed varieties, and access to the distinct channels, including relationships with seed companies, are important to successfully penetrate the market. BVT intends to partner with seed treatment companies who have the expertise and channel access to accelerate our reach into this soybean acreage. BVT believes future licensing agreements hold potential for significant annual royalties from this application.

″Partners, growers and seed companies all rely on multi-year data to ensure effectiveness, BVT’s repeated positive results can therefore increase their confidence even more,″ continued Mr. Malik. ″For partners, the strong trial data from years 1 and 2 demonstrates the value and potential of adding CR-7 to their portfolios and shows that CR-7 can create a differentiated product offering to the marketplace.″

Second year trial results also confirmed that adding CR-7 over base seed treatment led to plants being healthier in the vegetative stage – when leaves, stems and roots are growing to support the flowering and reproductive stages.

Year 2 data also reconfirmed CR-7’s effectiveness against Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a significant problem caused by Fusarium virguliforme, a soil-borne pathogen that attacks soybean roots and lower stems, affecting flowers and young pods and resulting in significant yield loss.

″CR-7 was statistically equivalent to both biological and chemical standard treatments for SDS,″ said Dr. Newark. ″This disease data, coupled with CR-7’s ability to grow healthier plants and improve yield, enables us to provide growers with a product that addresses many needs with zero negative effect on crop safety – and help them implement more sustainable agricultural practices.″

⁽¹⁾ Source: USDA, World Agricultural Production, 2022