BASF Japan adds xarvio^® FIELD MANAGER growth stage prediction and disease alert functions for potato and sugar beet to support key crop cultivation in Hokkaido

• xarvio ^® FIELD MANAGER's growth stage prediction and disease alert functions support control of major diseases in potatoes and sugar beets

• The service will be launched for Hokkaido, covering major crop rotation system in the region

• With digital technology BASF supports farmers affected by climate change and rising material costs

BASF Japan has begun offering the growth stage forecasting and disease alert functions of xarvio FIELD MANAGER*, a cultivation management system promoted jointly with ZEN-NOH, for potato and sugar beet.

The service will be available to support potato and sugar beet growers during the 2024 growing season. This function is optimized mainly using cultivation data from Hokkaido, which is the main production area of these crops in rotation. Potato diseases occur mostly after the flowering period. In potato cultivation it is important to properly control disease before it occurs. xarvio FIELD MANAGER's potato growth stage prediction has been confirmed to be more than 80% accurate within five days in a prediction accuracy study at the beginning of flowering. By having information provided by growth stage prediction, farmers can efficiently monitor the growth of their crops in their fields.

In addition, the disease alert function allows the farmer to receive notification of when Late blight in potato and Cercospora spot disease in sugar beet will occur, making it possible to apply crop protection at the optimum time. In the future, BASF aims to optimize the selection and use of the suitable fungicide, including the recommended number of sprays and dosage.

Previously, xarvio FIELD MANAGER's agronomic prediction functions were only available for rice, soybeans, wheat, and barley, but now they have been expanded to include potato and sugar beet.

Shinsuke Noda, Director of Agricultural Solutions in BASF Japan, said: ″Farmers are facing a variety of challenges, including difficulty in forecasting growth and disease outbreaks due to climate change, and higher input cost such as fertilizers. We are very pleased to add potato and sugar beet, two of Hokkaido's key crops, to the target crops of our agronomic decision engine that supports farmers. This is one of the initiatives that comprehensively support the "crop system" that we are aiming for and is an important step toward the overall optimization of crop production. BASF is also committed to realizing sustainable agriculture, which is also the goal of the MAFF’s "MIDORI strategy" and we believe that this functional expansion will serve as the foundation for this future vision. We aim to increase efficiency in farming, the biggest job on earth, and contributing with the latest digital technology to help farmers implement optimal crop protection and ensure stable yields and quality.″

Focusing on specific crop systems, such as rice, BASF provides comprehensive support to farmers with its broad portfolio of digital and crop protection solutions. For example, in potato, one of Hokkaido's major rotation crop, BASF offers Zampro DM ^® Flowable, a fungicide that is effective in controlling blight and is highly effective when used as recommended by xarvio FIELD MANAGER. Zampro DM ^® Flowable has excellent preventive and curative effects and can be used up to one day before harvest.