New green combination from Syngenta against mold in strawberries launched

With the new biological product RAVIBIS™, Syngenta now has a strong green duo against the most important fungi in strawberries. 

Together with TAEGRO^®, both powdery mildew and Botrytis are effectively controlled in light to moderate disease pressure. Combining with chemicals also works fine.

″For growers who want to grow strawberries with low residues, for example, for the German market, Syngenta now has two effective green products.″ 

Maikel van den Berg said that after he was able to report positive experiences last year about TAEGRO, which owes its effectiveness to the action of bacteria, the company now has a new green product.

″The active substance in RAVIBIS is sodium hydrogen carbonate, which falls under the group of basic substances. There are no MRL restrictions, and it is SKAL certified.″ 

RAVIBIS is a preventive coating with both a curative and preventive effect. The active ingredient in RAVIBIS extracts moisture from the fungal threads, which causes them to shrivel. And because RAVIBIS also increases the acidity of the leaf, the fungus feels less at home there anyway, and its growth is inhibited.

Strong Against Mildew

Where TAEGRO is strong on both powdery mildew and Botrytis, RAVIBIS is particularly effective on powdery mildew. Syngenta tested both agents in an official trial by PC Hoogstraten (B) last year. 

Van den Berg said, ″RAVIBIS was used five times in combination with TAEGRO in a schedule that included TAEGRO solo twice and TAEGRO plus Takumi once. That schedule performed almost as well as a schedule with TOPAZ /TAEGRO four times, Takumi/TAEGRO twice and TAEGRO solo twice. That is quite impressive for a schedule of chemistry which is only once.″ 

At the same time, that trial also showed that green agents such as TAEGRO and RAVIBIS can have an essential additional value in schedules with chemistry. ″The schedule with the combination of TOPAZ^® and TAEGRO was the strongest in that trial. That is also very telling.″

Incidentally, Van den Berg sees that it needs to get used to chemistry and green agents that are going well together and producing effective combinations. ″It may seem illogical, but that is not the case,″ the Syngenta employee said. 

″TAEGRO and RAVIBIS have mechanisms of action that are not disrupted by chemical active substances. The wetting agents from other agents help with the proper distribution of TAEGRO and RAVIBIS. When using the agents solo, Maikel always advises adding a wetting agent. The build-up is important to prevent the green agents from losing their power. So come back regularly to keep the bacteria population up or to maintain the layer of RAVIBIS solution on the leaf,″ he added.

RAVIBIS ™, a Powerful Green Solution

RAVIBIS is a biological product of sodium hydrogen carbonate. This substance can help to protect against powdery mildew. It works as a covering agent that also has a curative effect. RAVIBIS has the following mechanisms of action:

• The fungal threads shrivel up due to osmotic action; RAVIBIS extracts moisture from the fungus.

• Sodium hydrogen carbonate raises the pH, inhibiting the fungus growth.

• It works as a contact agent by weakening the cell walls of the fungus

RAVIBIS may be applied eight times per crop with an interval of ten days. 

It has no MRL restrictions. 

Applying an adjuvant improves the effect of RAVIBIS when sprayed solo; ELASTO™ G5 has proven to be the best for this purpose in practice. 

Because RAVIBIS is sensitive to runoff, spraying must be repeated after precipitation. 

RAVIBIS is SKAL-certified and permitted in organic cultivation.

How TAEGRO^® Works

The action of the green fungicide TAEGRO is based on three principles:

1. Competition for space and food on the leaf. Where TAEGRO bacteria are, there is no place for fungi. 

2. The bacteria produce breakdown products (metabolites) that have an antifungal effect. 

3. TAEGRO stimulates the plant's defenses. The plant thinks it is being attacked and "turns on" its defense mechanism. 

TAEGRO may be applied 12 times per season with an interval of three days. 

The recommended addition of the additive ELASTO G5 considerably enhances the preventive effect of TAEGRO. This results in a better distribution of the bacteria on the leaf and better moistening, allowing the bacteria to continue multiplying.