In 1988, Bio-Care, a company based in Woy Woy, New South Wales, Australia, was given permission by the New South Wales government to sell NoGall, and the world’s first genetically engineered microbe designed for outdoor use goes on sale.

One isolate, known as strain K84 (the 84th strain proved to be very effective at stopping infections by local pathogenic agrobacteria at an inoculation ratio of 1:1, this was later found to be due to its aggressive competition and colonisation of plant roots and wound sites, plus its in-situ production of specifically targeted antibiotics (bacteriocins) called agrocin 84 and 434.

By 1973,  K84 was being sold to local nurseries for control of crown gall agrobacteria attacking stone fruits, nut trees and roses.  This was the first instance of the commercial use of a bacterium for the biological control of a plant pathogen in soil and it is the first commercial use of a bacterium to control any plant disease.