Spraytec proposes to complement fungicides with ‘biorationals’ to contain pathogen resistance: Aapresid Congress

The Argentine company Spraytec proposes to complement the use of chemical fungicides with the so-called ″biorational″ products, to mitigate the resistance pathogens have shown to current technologies.

This proposal was presented in this year's edition of the Aapresid Congress, promoted by the Argentine Association of No-Till Producers from August 10 to 12, 2022, in the Argentine city of Rosario, with exclusive coverage by AgroPages.

Dr. Marcelo Carmona, from the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Buenos Aires (FAUBA) stated, ″We can no longer think that the control of soybean diseases depends exclusively on fungicides.″

″Today we have problems controlling Cercospora and septoria due to cases of resistance. The use of azoxystrobin plus cyproconazole, which are the chemicals most used in Argentina to control diseases, has a much smaller control effect than 10 years ago,″ the expert said.

According to him, there are no new technological platforms, and change cannot depend on the appearance of new molecules.

″It is necessary to incorporate the 'biorationals' into the system. These are products that can enhance others, such as Fulltec and Fulltec Max application aids, or products that provide micronutrients such as zinc and silicon (a very common element in the earth), chitosans and other active ingredients that must be considered in the management of the health of the crops and that accompany the fungicides,″ he said.

In this same vein, Spraytec's Commercial Director, Pablo Lafuente De Volder, added that in these years of the pandemic, Spraytec had launched more than five different products responding to producers' demands.

Pablo Lafuente De Volder, Spraytec's Commercial Director

″We have developed zinc seed treatments, tank cleaners that avoid problems in applications and even a mix optimizer based on the diagnosis that many products on the market were cut out in the mixes,″ he said.

This last product is called Optimix and is being presented in this edition of the Aapresid Congress. It is the compatibilizer of liquid mixtures with soluble substances such as glyphosate, 2,4-D and Fomesafen, the most efficient on the market. ″Optimix prevents mix breakage and optimizes the application medium,″ he added.

Spraytec also launched a pack composed of Top Seed Treatment, plus TrichoVidas, a solution formulated with Trichoderma harzianum supplied by the company Microvidas.

Trichoderma harzianum is a beneficial fungus and antagonist of pathogenic microorganisms, which actively compete for space and nutrients in the rhizosphere, moving them away from plant roots. It also acts as a biocontroller and biofertilizer, as it increases the availability of nutrients for plants, promoting their growth.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)