Rigby Taylor appointed UK distributor for Bionema's nematode solutions

Rigby Taylor has been appointed as the exclusive distributor in the UK turf and amenity sector for Bionema’s NemaTrident nematode solutions for the control of chafer grubs and leatherjackets larvae.

NemaTrident is a tri-component solution incorporating a range of highly virulent insect-parasitic nematodes within the Heterorhabditis and Steinernema genera. The nematodes attack and destroy the larvae of the insect pests thus preventing future pests from developing.

The product is safe, non-toxic to users and consumers, decomposes rapidly and can be targeted at specific pests to avoid harming beneficial insects – providing 70-100% success rates in combating the pests.

Environmental consultancy ADAS recently calculated that the economic cost of chafer grubs alone is up to £85 million a year for UK golf courses from lost income and damage repair. It also highlighted that, on the 40% of racecourses affected by the pest’s damage, lost income could amount to up to £605,000 per course.

Dr Minshad Ansari, Bionema CEO, said: “In a market with significant potential, there is a clear opportunity for Rigby Taylor to continue helping greenkeepers, sports club groundsmen, racecourse managers and landscapers in the control of chafer grubs and leatherjackets larvae, when chemicals such as Chlorpyrifos (also known by the trademark Dursban, Equity) and Imidacloprid (Merit Turf) are banned across Europe.”

Rigby Taylor’s Peter Corbett added: “Our role at Rigby Taylor is to combine all the potential solutions for our customers throughout the UK. Our staff have all been briefed on the most effective way to use the NemaTrident range of nematodes as part of an integrated pest management programme.”

Rigby Taylor – a century of innovation  

From its incorporation in 1919, Rigby Taylor has been at the forefront of providing products and services to the sports and amenity turf industry. Originally serving horticulturalist and gardeners in the north west of England, the company launched its first ‘Taylor’s’ fertiliser in 1930 and quickly became the leading supplier of sports turf products in northern England. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, it established branches in the midlands, southern England and Scotland.

Rigby Taylor was the first sports and amenity distribution company to introduce its own range of branded turf protection products, and it entered into long-term supply partnerships with major international research-based organisations which saw Rigby Taylor as the perfect conduit for promoting and supplying products. Many of these partnerships continue to operate today.

Innovation is what sets Rigby Taylor apart from its competitors. As a seed agent in its own right, the company works closely with its seed breeding partner, Top Green, to develop technologically-advanced grass seed mixes including tetraploid types and the Carbon4Grass carbon sequestration mixtures. The company also leads the way in introducing super granulation fertiliser formulations as well as its unique Impact paint formulations, which have received the Queen’s Award for Innovation and Enterprise. The company was also the first to introduce autonomous robotic and GPS pitch line markers to the industry.

Most recently, Rigby Taylor was selected by Bayer to launch the new fungicide active Exteris Stressguard, the first new fungicide active to be introduced to the UK turf industry for over 10 years, and by Rain Bird as its authorised UK irrigation products distributor for golf, landscape, sports pitch and domestic systems.

 Employing over 50 field-based technical personnel, supported by agronomy specialists in grass seed selection, plant nutrition, water management, plant protection, line marking, irrigation and drainage, the company is well prepared for the next 100 years!