Brazil Mapa registers products to aid in integrated management of pests in citrus, fruit, corn, and coffee crops

Now, producers can count on new products to control psyllids, whitefly, and leafhoppers, one of which is low-risk, and the other has a new mode of action.

Act No. 58 of the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs of the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense, published in the Official Gazette of the Union, registered 23 formulated products, that is, agricultural pesticides that will effectively be available for use by farmers. Of these, eight are low impact.

Of these registrations, four products are based on new active ingredients, two of which are of chemical origin. Anvisa classified them as category 5, that is, a product unlikely to cause acute damage or unclassified, which are the lowest classes of toxicological risk. The other two are recommended for citrus crops, which in recent years have faced major phytosanitary problems that could compromise the sector's productivity.

Among the low-impact products, there is the dimpropyridaz-based formula for controlling the whitefly pest (Bemisia tabaci), corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis), and the vector of greening, the psyllid (Diaphorina citri). This product has a mechanism of action that stops the insects from feeding, significantly reducing the transmission of viruses and bacteria through systemic distribution with a translaminar effect. In addition, it does not have cross-resistance to other active ingredients and is, therefore, an excellent tool for managing the resistance of pests with greater phytosanitary risk.

The other registered product is a peptide-based product that activates the immune system of citrus plants to ″energize″ other SAR (systemic acquired resistance) inducers. Considered low risk, the product induces plant resistance to two bacteria: Xanthomonas citri subsp. Citri, which causes citrus canker, and Liberibacter asiaticus, which causes Citrus Greening. These two diseases have been the main problems in Brazilian citrus farming.

″More than 40 exclusive combinations of peptides and antimicrobials were analyzed in field tests to find the one that would stimulate the best immune response against Citrus Greening. The goal is to bring innovative solutions to Brazilian farmers that can significantly contribute to the integrated management of plant diseases in a sustainable manner, especially bacterial and fungal diseases,″ explained the head of the Formulated Products Registration Division, Tatiane Nascimento.

A phytochemical product based on coffee and eucalyptus oil was also registered to control Bemisia tabaci biotype B in soybeans and Dalbulus maidis in corn.

Another new product was a nonanoic acid-based product to control Hypothenemus hampei, popularly known as the coffee borer. This pest is found in all coffee-producing regions of the world and is considered as a major pest because it attacks the fruit at any stage of ripening, including the dried beans.

The other products use active ingredients previously registered in the country. The registration of generic pesticides is vital to reduce market concentration and increase competition, which results in fairer trade and lower production costs for Brazilian agriculture.

All registered products were analyzed and approved by the agencies responsible for health, the environment, and agriculture according to scientific criteria and in line with international best practices.