Ascenza registers Cuprital 700 for Citrus Canker in Brazil

Ascenza exclusively announced to AgroPages that it obtained registration approval for its multisite bactericide and fungicide, Cuprital 700 (Copper Oxychloride), for Citrus Canker, caused by the bacterium, Xanthomonas citri subsp.

The disease causes considerable losses for Brazilian citriculture, despite not being systemic or not being in the xylem or phloem of plants. It causes symptoms such as localized lesions on fruits, branches and leaves.

The main effects are defoliation and, when severity is high, fruits can drop before harvesting, easily reaching 50% losses if not managed and even 80% in extreme cases.

In addition, it depreciates the value of fruits for the market and could make them impossible to sell, which is prohibited in cases of the disease.

Currently, one-fifth of Brazilian orchards show symptoms of Canker, multinational agronomist Edgar Braz, technical and commercial representative of the multinational, Ascenza.

According to Braz, the disease is currently present in orchards, which are, little by little and depending on the climatic situation, being increasingly contaminated.

There was even a change in legislation in 2017 that allowed new management strategies instead of eradication.

″The solution is a protector based on Copper Oxychloride (Cu+2 e), and its use aims to reduce the risk of developing resistance in pathogens that cause Canker, always preventively, before their incidence,″ Braz explained.

The product's concentration of copper oxychloride is 1,196.8 g/L, which is equivalent to 700 g/L of metallic copper, making it the fungicide in its product line with the highest concentration of the mineral in Brazil.

″This results in a lower dose and cost per hectare, helping citrus grower in handling, dosing and packaging,″ Braz stressed.

It can also be applied in mixtures with site-specific fungicides.

The inclusion of the disease in the package insert for Cuprital 700 means it is possible to use the product, according to agronomist and marketing expert Patrícia Cesarino, bringing a technical recommendation focused on the target bacteria, ″which is one of the great challenges in the production of Brazilian citrus.″

The product is an effective control tool and is much easier to use, because it has a liquid and concentrated formulation, she added.

According to Cesarino, one of the strategies for facing the disease is the regular application of Copper (Cu), in addition to the use of arboreal windbreaks around orchards.

Braz also noted that ″the second measure reduces the amount of wind and, therefore, injuries to trees, which are entry points for bacteria.″

In addition to being an essential element for the development of citrus, copper is also key to protecting citrus plants against bacterial diseases, such as Canker.

″It is best to use the fixed type or insoluble ones, such as copper oxychloride, which forms an external protective layer, protecting plants against attacks by pathogens,″ she said.

They also have a longer relative permanence, making it easier to wash the treated fabric.

It is important to point out that Copper is not meant to kill or cure an injury that already exists, its use aims to protect new fruits and shoots from being infected.

According to Braz, this protection efficiency can reach 80% in the reduction of possible Canker infections.

A crucial factor is the weather. However, care should be taken with seedlings of dubious origin and contaminated harvest material.

″Above all, we should practice prevention with the high-tech tools that we have on the market today, such as the Cuprital 700,″ Braz said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)