Rotam launches copper nanotechnology tool ‘Kypros’ in Brazil

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

Rotam exclusively revealed, to AgroPages, the launch in Brazil of an unprecedented technology, which will make the chemical element, copper, available for a prolonged period to crops. As a result, plants will gain enhanced defenses and become more resistant to major diseases.

“Therefore, in addition to nutrition, there is preventive action against major diseases affecting main cultures. This technology enables the expansion of a product's area of operation, not only on the surface, such as the case with protective fungicides, but also within the cell tissue of plants,” explained Tamara Ribeiro Silva, Research & Development Coordinator at Rotam.

The product, which is 100% water soluble, does not create deposits and does not clog sieves and nozzles. In addition, it is possible to apply it during all crop stages without causing phytotoxicity, even in the most sensitive phases. Due to this technology, significantly smaller amounts of copper are used compared to the oxides and hydroxides currently on the market. “With this product, the outcomes are the non-toxic concentration and the possibility of application during all phenological stages of plant growth,” Silva added.

Kypros is one of the most active forms of copper in solutions with a pH below 5, while the other forms of the chemical element lose their activity at lower pHs. It can be used in all pH ranges and be combined with most fungicides and insecticides on the market. Copper is available in Kypros in its biologically active form, nanotechnologically, in nanometric-sized particles.

“Traditional copper formulations are mostly unavailable to plants because they are of particle sizes that prevent their penetration into tissue through stomata and other natural openings present in leaves, as well as through the cell wall,” she explained.

Kypros showed excellent results in the management of Asian Rust in soybeans, a disease caused by the fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi, one of the most serious phytosanitary issues faced by Brazilian producers. Reduction in productivity can be up to 80%, depending on the degree of infestation.

In a recent survey, Kypros' association with the fungicide program achieved up to 90% control of the disease. In terms of productivity, the action of fungicides with Kypros obtained 64.2 bags per hectare, while the control is 53.9, almost 12 more bags per ha. “This gain in production makes a difference in the financial returns of producers, who will gain healthier and more productive crops,” said Cristiane Delic, Rotam's Head of Marketing.