Mycogen Corp. announced Monday that its MVP Bioinsecticidehas received a provisional registration from the government ofFrance for commercial sale to control grapeberry moths, whichare the most prominent insect pests on European grape vines.

Mycogen (NASDAQ:MYCO) of San Diego said that MVP controlscaterpillar pests in a variety of crops, employing a protein toxinproduced by the naturally occurring Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)bacterium and Mycogen's proprietary CellCap encapsulationdelivery system, which prolongs its insecticidal activity.

The insecticide is effective against some insects that havedeveloped resistance to chemical pesticides, but is harmless toanimals and beneficial insects, the company said.

The registration, granted by the French Ministry of Agricultureand Forestry, is France's first for a genetically engineeredpesticide. It was obtained in collaboration with Agrishellthrough Mycogen's international biopesticide commercializationagreement with the Royal Dutch Shell Group.

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