Bayer presents portfolio for minor crops in Brazil: Interview with Fabio Maia

 

AgroPages was present at the 26th edition of the Hortitec Fair held from June 26 to 28 in Holambra (state of São Paulo). At the event, we spoke exclusively to Fabio Maia, Fruit & Vegetable Marketing Manager, Coffee, Citrus and Tobacco, at Bayer. The company presented its stand solutions with regard to crop protection products and in hybrids and cultivars of fruits and vegetables, which are more productive, tolerant to diseases and pests, and that meet the demands of consumers.

 

 

Bayer has a very complete portfolio, linked to insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and pro management of various pests and diseases in various cultures. Today, specifically at Hortitec, we are bringing the latest innovation, which is Sivanto (Flupyradifurone), a new insecticide for the control of sucking insects such as the green aphid (Myzus persicae), whitefly (Bemisia tabaci race B). Currently, Sivanto has been registered for use on 11 crops of vegetables and fruits.

 

Sivanto will also be a very interesting alternative to handling sucking insects that the producer will have. It is a product that will offer a higher level of control because it is a new mode of action; it is a new chemical group and this means greater control efficiency. It is a product that rapidly paralyzes insect penetration and, in addition, the product has a formulation that facilitates very rapid penetration within the plant. For these reasons, the product will offer a higher level of control.

 

In addition, Sivanto will offer great comfort to the farmer because only with the product, will the farmer be able to control sucking insects, both in the soil part and in the aerial portion, so he has the flexibility to use it in both the soil and the leaf; it is a product that has a very short shelf life, from one to three days for the vast majority of crops. This generates great convenience for the farmer, in addition to a great particularity that he controls all phases of the insect, from the egg to the nymph and the adult stages. And finally, another benefit that Sivanto offers to the farmer is that it is a very important tool for the sustainable management of the crop because it is very selective in the case of beneficial insects, as it preserves all the fauna of beneficial insects, which facilitates control and is ideal for integrated pest management. So, it is a tool that has three interesting fronts for the farmer: a superior level of control, convenience to the farmer, and it is also a tool for sustainable management.

 

 

Alion is a pre-emergent herbicide in growing fruits, which is a recent release and is also a key tool for controlling weeds in bananas, mace, grapes, mangoes, and coconuts, which are crops that require a very intensive number of herbicide applications and with Alion's management, we can reduce the number of applications.

 

So, it means that it offers autonomy for the farmer and also sustainability because it involves less entry into the crop and a lower labor cost. It is a cleaner crop at the time of harvest.

 

 

Yes, it is the Serenade (Bacillus subtilis lineage QST 713), which is a biological fungicide. Biological products are occupying a very important proportion, and directly assist in disease management. It is a product that has a fairly broad spectrum of action in terms of diseases and also offers zero deficiency; you can apply the product today and do the harvest right away. It imposes that benefit of control.

 

Biological is an important tool because it is in tune with what the consumer demands today, and we as consumers demand from supermarket chains clean products with traceability from planting to harvesting. And the biological is a product that offers this greater facility; it is a product that can be handled along with agricultural pesticides. Especially during moments closer to the harvest, in which the farmer has disease problems, it becomes important, because it has a tool to control this disease and with a zero grace period. So, it is a tranquility, a convenience for the farmer to have a tool like the Serenade, and to ensure control very close to the harvest and not to have the risk of residual effect.