Brazil Registration Watch: New bio-products for pest control registered

Source: Merieux Nutrisciences

Brazil MAPA (Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply) recently approved the registration of 46 formulated crop protection products, 18 of them are low-impact products, and six are authorized for use in organic agriculture.

What is new is the registration of a low-toxicity product with a new active ingredient, Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus (PhopGV) (genus Betabaculovirus, family Baculoviridae), approved for controlling the tomato moth, making it a good option for managing this pest.

Another unprecedented active ingredient, based on the essential oil of Cinnamomum verum had two products registered to control the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci race B) in soybeans. Bemisia tabaci is a priority pest considered by the MAPA.

For organic agriculture, an ant-kill bait based on the extract of the Tephrosia candida plant was registered. It is the second record of an ant killer based on Reference Specification No. 04, for controlling leaf-cutting ants Atta sedens rubropilosa and Atta laevigata.

The highlight of the nematicides is the two biological products composed of a mixture of Bacillus paralicheniformis and Bacillus subtilis isolates, recommended for the control of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita), soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) and root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus brachyurus).

For controlling the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), one of the pests listed as a priority in 2022, the farmer will have another control tool available with Baculovirus. It is approved for use in organic agriculture, in addition to a product based on Bacillus thuringiensis, isolate S 234 and another based on Metarhizium rileyi, Strain CCT7771.

Another pest also considered a priority, the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which causes white mold, registered two biological products based on Trichoderma afroharzianum, lineage CEN 287.

Crops with insufficient phytosanitary support, also known as minor crops, such as araticum, atemoya, yacon potato, cocoa, yam, shallot, cherimoya, chayote, cupuaçu, cowpea, custard apple, ginger, sesame, chickpeas chickpea, soursop, guarana, yam, kiwi, lentil, linseed, cassava, parsnip, gherkin, turnip, pine cone, okra, radish and pomegranate may be treated with flutriafol fungicide (classified by Anvisa as category 5 - Unlikely to Deal Acute Damage). The registration of pesticides for crops with insufficient phytosanitary support is important to help farmers manage pests.

In terms of chemical records, the two records of the herbicide Diquat (considered a substitute for Paraquat) stand out, increasing the options for soybean growers in the harvest that begins.

The other products use active ingredients previously registered in the country. The registration of generic pesticides is important to reduce market concentration and increase competition, which result in fairer trade and lower production costs for Brazilian agriculture.

All registered products were analyzed and approved by the bodies responsible for health, environment and agriculture, according to scientific criteria and in line with the best international practices.