Zequanox^TM

Invasive Mussel Populations have been widespread in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions for nearly two decades. However, these mussels were found west of the Rockies only recently. In 2007, quagga mussels were discovered in Lake Mead, on the lower Colorado River system, infesting water and hydroelectric power plants in Nevada, Arizona and California, including the Hoover, Davis and Parker Dams. In 2008, state officials in California confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in the San Justo Reservoir.

Quagga and zebra mussels attach themselves in large masses to submerged objects in water. Their colonies block water pipes and clog screens and filters. Just as troubling, they attach themselves to boats. If not properly cleaned, these boats can transfer mussels to previously un-infested lakes or rivers.Because of their tolerance of diverse ecosystems and their ability to rapidly reproduce, their numbers grow explosively. Researchers have found populations of up to 700,000 mussels per square yard.

Mussels can cause damage by:

• clogging intake pipes and internal operating structures of industries that draw water from infested lakes and rivers
• coating bottoms of lakes and reservoirs, disrupting biodiversity and aquatic food chains
• attaching themselves to boats, including outdrives, hulls and engine intakes leading to over-heating and increased drive-train wear

Current Control Options are Limited Besides the difficult and expensive task of physically removing them, there is currently no environmentally safe method to curb the destruction caused by zebra and quagga mussels. Power plants and raw-water facilities have little choice but to use non-selective, polluting chemicals, such as chlorine, to reduce mussel infestations. Chlorine affects many desirable species, and can form potentially carcinogenic substances when it combines with certain compounds in water.

New Solution to an Old Problem The discovery of new medicines to prevent and cure diseases often begins with microorganisms found in nature. More than 50 percent of today’s human drugs are derived from natural sources. Similarly, 11 percent of all plant protection products used today to control insects, weeds and diseases are derived from plants and other naturally occurring microorganisms. These products are highly selective control options and only affect intended species.

Researchers at the New York State Museum (NYSM) spent four years searching for a naturally occurring organism that would control these destructive mussels. They discovered a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria that selectively kills large numbers of the invasive mussels but is not harmful to water quality or other aquatic organisms. Pseudomonas fluorescens microbes are found in water bodies throughout North America. In nature, they protect the roots of plants from diseases. In agriculture, they have been safely used for years to protect delicate fresh fruit crops from freezing. We come in contact with Pseudomonas fluorescens every day in our soil, water and food.

Bringing Zequanox^TM To Market In 2007, Marrone Bio Innovations entered into a commercial partnership with the NYSM to bring this naturally occurring soil micro- organism for the control of zebra and quagga mussels to market. The result is Zequanox, an effective, safe and environmentally friendly product. Zequanox will significantly reduce the use of polluting chemicals in industrial facilities and will be the first environmentally-safe method considered for invasive mussel control in open waters.

Marrone Bio Innovations, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, will be conducting field studies of Zequanox under a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA). These studies have been reviewed and authorized by state regulatory agencies in Arizona and Nevada. The product will be tested at the Bureau of Reclamation’s Davis Dam on the lower Colorado River, where supply lines are heavily infested. Research trials are currently underway to optimize the product formulation and perfect its delivery. Full approval of Zequanox is anticipated in 2010 in both the US and Canada.

Research trials have proven Zequanox to be safe for important aquatic species including, but not limited to:

• water fleas, Daphnia
• freshwater shrimp, Hyalella
• native blue mussel, Mytilus
• native freshwater clams
• fathead minnows
• mallard ducks
• brown trout
• sunfishs