STA DISTRIBUTES BIO-OZ INOCULATION MACHINES

Using technology-based services to beat pathogens

(Gilroy, CA, July 24, 2006) — STA Laboratories, the only independent agricultural product testing laboratory that offers seed quality, genomics, plant health and diagnostic services and products to the seed and plant industries, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Bio-Oz Biotechnologies Ltd. to distribute Bio-Oz’s BIM inoculation machines.

Based in Israel, Bio-Oz Biotechnologies has developed and commercialized plant inoculation technology as a high throughput alternative over other methods including rubbing with an abrasive before inoculating solutions. Bio-Oz’s BIM machines have been designed to inoculate plants very efficiently with various pathogens (virus, fungi, and bacteria) and nucleic acid. The inoculation machines are available in different sizes and formats, from small laboratory inoculators to giant, automated inoculators, meeting the demands of any size laboratory.

Experimental inoculation protocols require many different types of inoculations, ranging from treating a few plants (in research) to mass inoculation for testing many plants (e.g. in programs for testing for resistance to pathogens). Manual inoculation of plants with pathogens (especially viruses) uses inoculum inefficiently, is laborious, and may result in a non-uniform distribution of incoculum. Bio-Oz Biotechnologies Ltd. has developed a series of inoculation machines that offer a state-of-the-art solution for plant inoculation applications. Bio-Oz BIM inoculators are the primary choice for plant pathologists, plant breeders and molecular biologists at nurseries and seed companies for the following reasons:

• Requires smaller amounts of inoculum, and reduces labor expenses involved in inoculum preparation
• Easy to use and runs reliably at minimum operating costs
• Ability to operate in automatic and manual mode; inoculators are programmable to enable quick and mass inoculation of plants
• Increased safety because the abrasives are included in the inoculum, and as a result, their spread to the air is prevented.
• Easy to clean and maintain
• Machines include numerous technical capabilities that can be modified according to needs, including adjustment of pulse, duration, pressure and distance from the canopy
• Bio-Oz Biotechnologies BIM machines can be customized to meet specific requirements

A U.S.-based distributor of Bio-Oz BIM inoculation machines, STA Plant Health Services provides effective disease indexing, resistance screening, and plant pathogen detection and diagnostics. The three divisions of STA Laboratories—STA Seed Quality, STA Genomics, and STA Plant Health Services—offer technology-based, scientifically sound services which help clients succeed. For more information, visit http://www.bio-oz.co.il/products/bim/ or contact Judit Monis, Ph.D., Plant Health Services Manager, STA Laboratories, (408) 846-9964.

About STA Laboratories
Founded in 1987, STA Laboratories, Inc. is the only independent agricultural product testing laboratory that offers seed quality, genomics, plant health and diagnostic services and products to the seed and plant industries. For the past 20 years, STA Laboratories has been faithfully serving the agricultural community. STA Laboratories operates two state-of-the-art facilities in Longmont, CO and Gilroy, CA. For more information, visit www.stalabs.com or call STA Laboratories at (408) 846-9964.