Arkema expects more registration for its soil fumigant Paladin

It is common for crop protection products to first be registered in countries of the world with lower regulatory requirements than the United States, but the company Arkema registered its Paladin soil fumigant in the U.S. and Israeli in 2010 and has expanded registration to other countries (AgroNews 2010-07-16).

This week the company announced how the product has registration in Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon. More Middle East and Africa country registrations are expected in the coming months.

Arkema claims it is the world's largest producer of thiochemicals (fine chemicals with sulfur) and explains that Paladin is a pre-plant soil fumigant effective against nematode parasites, weeds and soil-borne plant pathogens used in tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants cultivations.

For Arkema, these new registrations show the high potential and promise for Paladin in a market where several fumigation products are destined for phase-out due to their critical toxicological or “eco-toxicological” profiles, according to the company.

Paladin was developed by Arkema's research and development staff. It is based on dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), a substance derived from sulfur. The claim is that Paladin has no ozone depletion potential, a low global warming potential, and is short-lived in the atmosphere. The company says extensive research studies and more than 250 field trials in 15 counties have been carried out to assess the efficiency of Paladin and its potential impact on the environment and human health.

In the U.S., Israel, Morocco and Turkey, Paladin is marketed through United Phosphorus. In Turkey, the product is registered under the trade name Accolade. Arkema touts itself as a “global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer.”