BASF launches fungicide Blavity for soybeans in Brazil

Fungal diseases have been one of the biggest challenges for soybean producers in Brazil for some seasons, especially regarding Asian rust, target spot, and Cercospora.

The first two, without proper management, including innovative solutions, represent productivity drops of 90% and 50%, respectively. They also have a considerable influence on the income of the rural producer.

"The target spot gained significant prominence. A few years ago, they considered this disease secondary; today, it has nothing to do with secondary. It is a primary disease and poses very high risks to the farmer. In Mato Grosso, for example, without proper management, it already causes losses of up to 17 to 20 bags per hectare, an income of up to R$3,000," explained Alexandre Santaella, Market Development Manager at BASF.

To help the sector in this challenge, BASF, a partner company of the Brazilian rural producer, innovated again with the fungicide Blavity^®. It has a double barrier against fungi, with a low dose, which makes it more convenient to apply in the product. Composed of the assets Xemium and Prothioconazole, the solution is essential as it is highly effective and brings together several other benefits that bring more confidence and peace of mind to farmers.

"This wide spectrum of control greatly facilitates the farmer's life, because, in a single solution, he will find a tool that acts on several diseases that can affect the crop. Another important point is its selectivity aspect. Often, the product that was adopted may have high efficiency but with phytotoxicity. When we look at Blavity^®, it is the product on the market with the best selectivity of its chemical group," Santaella said.

The 2022-23 soybean crop in Brazil promises to be marked by a record production of 153.54 million tons, according to the most recent projection by the National Supply Company (Conab). However, to maintain this high potential, correct management at the right time helps the farmer, in addition to keeping the crop protected for longer, both in preventing and combating fungal diseases.

"This will ensure that he has increasingly better productivity, profitability and, consequently, sustainability in the crop, being able to plant soybeans for much longer," Santaella added.

Still according to the BASF specialist, Brazilian producers are increasingly attentive to proper guidelines for managing fungal diseases, especially in crop rotation. However, there are still points that need to be considered. "In Mato Grosso, there is a very significant area of cotton that the producer needs to take special care of when planting, such as reinforcing the use of multi-sites. Management with multi-sites is fundamental, and in the case of planting soybeans after cotton, it becomes even more necessary," he pointed out.

Another point that the producer needs to pay attention to is the right moment of management. "It is much easier to deal with the diseases that attack soybeans in a preventive way when they are still being installed. Once this organism ends up developing and gains more mass, its control becomes much more difficult. Preventive management is fundamental and that is what brought us here," Santaella explained. In addition, he pointed out that for maximum effectiveness, rotation of the active ingredient and respect for the sanitary void is fundamental.

The solution launched in the country is part of BASF's robust investment of more than €900 million per year in research and development. Work that does not stop. By 2030, more than 30 new solutions and technologies will be launched between crop protection and seed traits, in addition to dozens of varieties of soybean, cotton, rice and digital tools.

"For 11 years, BASF has been among the management champions of CESB [a productivity award promoted by the Soja Brasil Strategic Committee], and we have prominent legitimacy and innovation in fungicides. We participated in all the innovations in the segment’s history and we are here again with Blavity^® to change the story of target spot and Asian rust control,″ stated Riccardo Gerbelli, BASF crop marketing consultant.