BASF launches inseticide Fastac® Duo in Brazil

BASF recently launched the insecticide Fastac® Duo(acetamiprid+ alpha-cypermethrin) in Brazil, to control bedbugs on rice and soybean crops. The product possesses selectivity and biological efficacy against bedbugs.

These sucking insects promote a deformation of plants and malformations of soybeans and rice. Therefore, there is a reduction of the grain weight, compromising the quality of the final product.  FASTAC ® Duo can be used in a rotational manner, which assists in the management of insect resistance.

For rice, the product was registered to control the Tibraca limbativentris, known locally as percevejo-do-colmo or rice stalk stink bug. According to data from the Rio Grande do Sul Institute of Rice (Irga), this insect is among the main insect pests that damage the irrigated rice of Rio Grande do Sul, the largest producers of the grain in Brazil. Thus, it results in losses for local farmers.

Airton Leites, manager of Technical Development of Cereals of BASF 's Crop Protection Unit, explains the importance of the launch to the extent of the problem caused by the insect. "It is very important to monitor the rice crops because the bedbug can be found in the vegetative and reproductive stages of the crop", sustains Leites.

"In both production of soybean and rice seeds, the bedbug generates a loss of germination and force of the seeds. Besides that, the fields of seed production often are discarded due to the lack of quality of the grains. Therefore, it is important to apply the product as soon as the first insects appear, avoiding an explosion of pests and new generation", adds the manager.