Bayer extends fungicide and biological bactericide Serenade® for the cottony rot

Bayer announced last Monday (02.15) the extension of the use of the fungicide and biological bactericide Serenade® for the treatment of the cottony rot (Sclerotinia sclerotirium). The disease was highlighted by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) as one of the eight plagues considered to have greater phytosanitary risk and potential of generating economic damages in Brazil.

Manager of the fungicide portfolio at Bayer, Waldemar Sanchez, affirms that the agrochemical is preventively positioned at the vegetative stage of the crops. However, as it is a biological product, it can be used normally during the planting period and sprayed a little before harvest. “Serenade® works yet as soil conditioner, rooter and stimulant for the plants,” explains Sanchez.

Being the first biological product of the Bayer portfolio in Brazil, the fungicide/bactericide is indicated for the following targets: Alternaria porri, Botrytis cinerea, Cryptosporiopsis perennans, Sphaeroteca macularis, Colletotrichum gloeoesporioides, Alternaria dauci, Pythium ultimum and now also the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the agent that causes the cottony rot.

Fabio Maia, strategic marketing manager for Fruits and Vegetables of Bayer goes further and affirms that the sector of biological agrochemicals in Brazil is part of the global strategy of the CropScience division at Bayer. The sector is in a new moment since the beginning of the year, with alterations at the legislation.

According to the Act No.6 of January 23 of 2014, the indication of the use of leaflets and labels should contain only the biological target. “This change enabled the widening of the number of crop that host the biological management, once a lot of them can be compromised by the same diseases and plagues, but some were not included in the registration,” explains Maia.