Exclusive U.S. EPA-approved ″MAX Family BioDefense″ planter box products announced by Meristem Crop Performance

″…Farmers need to take cost out, and our MAX family…offers options to stack biocontrols and biofertility to get more bushels…″ 

A first-ever, full suite of products combining biological and synthetic pest controls delivered seamlessly through the patented BIO-CAPSULE™ Technology advanced planter box seed fluency system was officially announced by Meristem Crop Performance.

″In every revolution, someone has to fire the first shot,″ said Mitch Eviston in announcing the full MAX Family BioDefense product line at the Commodity Classic in Denver, Colorado. ″We fired the first shot with HOPPER THROTTLE^® (HT) MAXSTAX™ Soybean and now we are ramping up with multiple products, because we need a BioDefense revolution to stop the $4 billion* taken from American farmers by pests every year across broad acre crops.″

In tallying up the lost yield, Eviston lists the ″big five″ pests in corn and soybeans: Corn rootworm (CRW), soybean cyst nematode (SCN), corn nematodes, corn root rot and soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS), with millions of bushels taken. ″We now have a way to effectively combat each of these threats,″ he says, adding that Meristem’s patented BIO-CAPSULE Technology seed fluency delivery system is what makes effective control possible for every farmer, given that more than half of them do not have liquid on their planters. ″We know winners want to go fast and take cost out, and this provides a way to stack biocontrols and biofertility to get more bushels.″

Four products comprise the MAX Family, each carrying multiple ingredients for pest control and plant nutrition. They are HT MAXSTAX Soybean, HT MAXSTAX Corn, HT MAXD Soybean and HT MAXD Corn. Each of the active ingredients within the MAX Family are designed and EPA-registered specifically for the BIO-CAPSULE delivery system. 

″Unlike liquid synthetic pesticides, the active ingredients in these products– BORNE X™, GUARD C™, GUARD M™, GUARD X™, and PREPHYTE™ – don’t require any specialized handling or application equipment,″ says Eviston. ″That makes it very convenient for enhanced protection against CRW, nematodes, seedcorn maggots, SDS, and other insects and pathogens.″

″We know this technology works,″ he continues. ″We have invested in multi-year Independent, third-party research documenting coverage and efficacy. We are clearly delivering more active ingredients to the seed coat and achieving 10 times the effective seed coverage compared to traditional seed treatment and other in-furrow treatment.″ 

The BioDefense Revolution: BIO-CAPSULE™ Technology for the first time makes it possible to combine biocontrols with EPA-registered synthetic chemistry and deliver these multiple modes of action alive and vigorous all the way to the furrow. An example is Meristem’s GUARD M™, a naturally occurring, fungal biocontrol agent proven effective in controlling a wide range of insects. Sequence above shows activity on seedcorn maggots. 

A big advantage to growers is being able to select the treatment for the field and the conditions that best fits their need, explains Shane Brockhoff, Meristem VP of Sales, Western U.S., who is based in Iowa. ″Every field is different, and every season is different,″ he says. ″Farmers need a way to fight back against these pests, but they don’t want to go back to having liquid insecticide kits on their planters. Now with the BIO-CAPSULE, we can provide new modes of action very economically to help growers protect their crops from these yield-robbers.″

″I’ve spent years and years working with products to control these pests with traditional chemistry and delivery systems,″ says Eviston. ″Only now can we deliver truly effective biocontrols combined with synthetic ingredients because of our patented BIO-CAPSULE seed fluency delivery system. It allows us to design solutions and fast-track EPA approval to help farmers take cost out and go after more bushels.″

*Total value of corn and soybean crop lost to invertebrate pests in 2023 according to the Crop Protection Network, a Product of the Land Grant Universities. Based on prices of $4/bu. for corn and $9/bu. for soybeans.

¹ Bokmeyer, J. (2024). BIO-CAPSULE Delivery System Coverage of Active Ingredients: A field study of delivery of dry seed actives through commercial planter equipment. Indianapolis, IN, Ag Ingenuity Partners.

GUARD C is a FIFRA 25b Exempt Product

GUARD M EPA Reg. No. 89600-8-94485

GUARD X EPA Reg.No. 95699-2-95552

BORNE X EPA Reg. No. 92311-6-94485

PREPHYTE ST EPA Reg. No. 94485-95552

Metalaxyl ST EPA Reg. No. 94485-8