Vive’s innovative technology creates new possibilities in crop protection

Growers wanting to give their crops the best start possible have a new tool; the Allosperse™ delivery system. And field results are proving the benefits.

“Corn yields in 2015 and 2016 saw an average increase of almost six bu/acre. About 80 percent of the 24 fields in the program had a yield bump with in-furrow AZteroid™ FC application,” says Dr. Darren Anderson, Chief Communications Officer, Vive Crop Protection. Several growers were also able to skip expensive, late-season foliar applications due to reduced disease pressure and increased plant health.

Why the improvement? Anderson explains. “The Allosperse delivery system in AZteroid FC is the key; it allows the fungicide to be compatible with salty liquid fertilizers. Most in-furrow pesticides are not compatible with starter fertilizers and often plug the application equipment. Allosperse has solved this problem,” says Anderson. The worry-free tank mix also means one-pass application; it survives delays due to weather, doesn’t require special equipment and insures seeds against disease.

Growers agree. “We found it very easy to use. There weren’t any clogging or residue issues in our nozzles and it’s easy to use in the tanks. It has been a positive experience,” says Ken Koehler, an Iowa corn grower.

The first two products developed by Vive using the Allosperse technology are the fungicide AZteroid FC and the insecticide Bifender™ FC. Both mix uniformly with liquid fertilizers to be applied at planting, helping to get seedlings off to a healthy start. Both are approved for key crops in the U.S. Midwest including corn, soybeans and potatoes. AZteroid FC is also approved for use on sugar beet, cotton and peanut crops.

The field results have been positive in other crops using AZteroid FC to start their season. “In a sugar beet trial conducted at North Dakota State University, when AZteroid FC was applied with starter fertilizer, crops out yielded fungicide seed treatment by 1.5 tons/acre. AZteroid FC in-furrow, on top of seed treatment with an early-season banded application, out-yielded seed treatment alone by 4.5 tons/acre,” says Anderson. AZteroid FC in seven potato trials saw increases of 24 cwt/acre on average.

Vive Crop Protection is currently developing a number of other products to enable new uses of trusted crop protection tools. “The industry needs to find new ways to improve the use of existing crop protection technology. We see Allosperse as a key component to innovation in agriculture,” says Anderson, who notes the continued consolidation in the industry will likely lead to fewer new active ingredients being developed.

While Vive Crop Protection is a relatively new company, the team members behind the innovations have decades of experience in the agriculture sector. As well, the board of directors includes executives from major crop protection companies. They all recognize the critical role an innovative company like Vive, and new delivery systems such as Allosperse, can play in the future of agriculture.