UPL launches selective herbicide Eximia for sugarcane in Brazil

UPL Brazil has announced the launch of Eximia, a selective herbicide designed to control hard-to-manage weeds in sugarcane crops. 

According to the manufacturer, the product is "essential in managing Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) and seashore paspalum (Paspalum maritimum), preserving the productive potential and profitability of crops."

Rogério Castro, CEO of UPL Brazil, stated that the launch of Eximia "reinforces UPL's commitment to addressing sugarcane farmers' primary demands and the challenges affecting the crop and impacting the agricultural cycle. The herbicide's efficiency, proven by cutting-edge research, will help preserve sugarcane's productive potential, not just in quantity but in quality."

Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum are difficult-to-control plants with high propagative capacity, causing irreversible damage to production due to competition for essential resources with the crop of interest.

Rafael Rovêa, herbicide marketing manager at UPL Brazil, explained that Eximia's differentiator is an "exclusive mechanism of action with high selectivity for sugarcane and systemic action in weed control. This technology inhibits an enzyme called dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS), responsible for the synthesis of folic acid – an important vitamin for weed development. Blocking the enzyme means inhibiting weed growth and reproduction, causing its death."

According to Rovêa, Eximia can be combined with agricultural adjuvants composed of methylated soybean oil – such as Strides, also manufactured by UPL – to enhance weed control. He added that using adjuvants boosts Eximia's control performance by improving the herbicide's adherence and penetration into the leaves of Bermuda grass and seashore paspalum.

"With this new solution, we are offering an opportunity for sugarcane farmers to achieve increasingly excellent results on their properties," UPL Brazil's herbicide marketing manager said in conclusion.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)