Ascenza launches Asbelto Pro fungicide in Brazil

The Portuguese multinational Ascenza announced to AgroPages the launch of the fungicide Asbelto Pro, formulated through the combination of two active principles: Propamocarb Hydrochloride and Dimethomorph.

According to the manufacturer, the product focuses on preventing and controling a disease with a high level of destruction and damage to potato and tomato crops: Late blight. The disease is caused by the microorganism Phytophthora infestans, similar to a fungus with rapid dissemination and high destructive potential. Research shows that this disease is capable of causing a total loss of production in just a few days. Asbelto Pro is a fungicide with a mechanism of action that eliminates the Oomycete fungi, with preventive, curative, and anti-sporulating activity.

″These active principles are already used separately, but this is the first time that they are presented together in a mixture,″ explained Agronomist Engineer and Expert in Marketing and Development, Patricia Cesarino. The product is indicated for management, mainly for an alert scenario, when there are highly favorable environmental conditions for the development of the disease. ″In addition to the effectiveness of the two active ingredients, the combination presents a complementary mechanism of action that contributes to the control and mitigation of the appearance of resistant organisms since it has different modes of action. In addition, it can be easily handled and applied,″ Patricia Cesarino affirmed.

Asbelto Pro has a significant systemic capacity that allows adequate protection of new plant tissues following the growth of the crop. ″It is important to point out that even under conditions favorable to late blight, due to its high level of control, the new fungicide has a high performance ratio in preventing the proliferation of Phytophthora infestans,″ Patricia added. Late blight can occur at any stage of crop development and can severely affect leaves, stems, petioles, and tubers.

Susceptible cultivars or cultivars with low levels of resistance, associated with periods with low temperatures and high humidity, are highly favorable factors for the disease. Despite much research, it is still a big headache for the farmer, as it is difficult to control.

Janice Uchida, a researcher at the Department of Phytopathology at the University of Hawaii in the United States, reported that foliar lesions begin with small, irregularly shaped, light green and gray spots. In cold, damp environments, they expand rapidly to form large black rots that spread throughout the leaf, onto leaf stems and the plant itself.

″Tube rot also develops and is characterized by slightly sunken areas with purplish brown skin. In young tubercles, the infections are dark, reddish-brown, and 5 to 15 mm deep,″ the researcher mentioned. On stored tubers, the rots are sunken, dry, and light brown, but the infected areas are indistinguishable from healthy tissue, she said. ″Frequently, there is a secondary invasion of fungi and bacteria, and the whole tuber rots,″ she said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)