天然害虫防治产品供应商 Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI) 已提交一项新的专利申请 芽孢杆菌 sp. strain F727, to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The strain was first discovered from soil collected in California by one of MBI’s employees. The chemistry and genetic profiles appear to be unique from other known 芽孢杆菌 物种。此外，该菌株产生的抗真菌化合物不同于目前的商业化 芽孢杆菌 生物杀菌剂产品。
相比之下，对常用化学杀菌剂的测试表明，新菌株对霜霉病等多种真菌和细菌植物病原体具有高水平的活性。
MBI 研发副总裁 Phyllis Himmel 表示， 芽孢杆菌 sp. strain F727 shows consistent fungicidal activity against Botrytis gray mold and downy mildews in plant tests. “We are excited to move this candidate to field trials on a broad range of crops in 2013,” she said. “The strain has also shown activity beyond plant disease control. Additional work is in progress to explore its usefulness as a plant growth promoter in crops such as corn, soybeans, tomatoes and turf.”