Pro Farm Group introduces novel insecticide/nematicide technology

Date:03-03-2025

Pro Farm Group introduces RinoTec™ Technology, a novel bacterial agent that demonstrates strong activity against plant-parasitic nematodes, wireworms, whitefly, thrips, mites, lepidopterans, including western corn rootworm, and other costly foliar and below-ground pests. It will be available for use in products for row and specialty crops, including corn, potatoes, tree nuts and vegetables, pending final U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state registrations.

″Growers throughout the industry will find this new technology provides an easy-to-use, effective, non-synthetic complement to their pest management programs,″ says JR Abele, RinoTec product manager. ″It has a user- and environment-friendly safety profile, that gives growers more freedom to farm.″

Stops feeding, repels pests and parasites to minimize crop loss

Products containing RinoTec Technology are applied at planting as an in-furrow liquid or to growing crops as a foliar treatment.

• Within the soil, RinoTec Technology is absorbed by roots and moves through the seedling’s developing root system, giving protection at a crucial developmental stage.

• As a foliar application, RinoTec is active on the plant surface and is trans-epidermal mobile (TEM), moving into the leaf surface structure where it is retained at lethal levels.

• When ingested by the pest, it acts as stomach poison, stopping pest feeding and the damage that reduces crop yields and lowers crop quality and marketability.

• RinoTec also generates a reaction within the plant roots and soil profile that repels below-ground pests to protect seedlings and prevent continued insect feeding on developing tubers and root crops.

″During the past five years of university and independent research testing, yield data and crop quality evaluations show RinoTec Technology provides pest control equal to or better than the insecticides growers currently use,″ Abele says.

Safer, more convenient than broad-spectrum controls

Pyrethroids and organophosphates are commonly employed to control devastating pests like western corn rootworm that can cost corn growers as much as $2 billion annually in control measures and lost yield.¹   

″This groundbreaking product marks the most significant advancement for growers since the introduction of diamides, offering a safer and more effective alternative to broad-spectrum solutions like pyrethroids and organophosphates,″ Abele adds.

The naturally sourced, bio-based components of RinoTec Technology will make farming easier. Insecticide/nematicide products powered by RinoTec Technology feature:

• Tank-mix compatibility with a wide range of crop protection products and fertilizers including 10-34-0

• No buffer requirement when soil-applied at planting

• Minimal personal protective equipment (PPE), a 4-hour restricted entry interval (REI) and a 0-day pre-harvest interval (PHI) upon application

• No closed mixing system requirement, providing convenience not previously available from other liquid in-furrow insecticides

• A low impact on beneficials and pollinators

Novel mode of action is an effective tool for resistance management

RinoTec is currently within the Insect Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) UNB chemical class, or bacterial agents (non-Bt) of unknown or uncertain mode of action (MoA). 

        

″In laboratory studies of an initial prototype, RinoTec successfully controlled Bt-resistant insect populations, which leads us to believe it may belong in an IRAC group of its own,″ Abele says. This is important because there are documented cases of lepidopteran insect resistance to Bts within IRAC group 11A (bacillus thuringiensis and the insecticidal proteins they produce).²          

RinoTec Technology is not expected to be cross-resistant to other insecticide MoAs, including those in IRAC groups 4A, 5, 9B, 23 and 28, making it a strong fit in IPM and resistance management programs. It should be used in combination or in rotation with conventional chemistries to delay resistance development.

Newest in efficacious, bio-based product portfolio

Pro Farm Group, based in Davis, California, is an industry leader in the discovery, development and commercialization of naturally derived pest management and plant health technologies for agriculture and the ornamentals industry.

The new products will join the ProFarm portfolio, which includes Venerate® bioinsecticide, Regalia® biofungicide, Emergen™ L biological fertilizer and others.

Three products powered by RinoTec Technology will be available to growers for use during the 2026 growing season, pending U.S. EPA and state registrations. The insecticide/nematicides will be used in on-farm demonstrations during the 2025 growing season.

RinoTec, Emergen, ProFarm and the ProFarm logo are trademarks of Pro Farm Group Inc., Venerate and Regalia are registered trademarks of Pro Farm Group Inc.

Always read and follow label directions.

¹Wechsler S., Smith D. Has Resistance Taken Root in U.S. Corn Fields? Demand for Insect Control. Am. J. Agric. Econ. 2018;100:1136–1150.

²Gassmann AJ. Resistance to Bt Maize by Western Corn Rootworm: Effects of Pest Biology, the Pest-Crop Interaction and the Agricultural Landscape on Resistance. Insects. 2021 Feb 5;12(2):136.