Sipcam Agro USA announces commercial launch of Mevalone^® in California

Date:01-25-2024

Sipcam Agro USA, Inc., launches Mevalone in California. A revolutionary biofungicide that offers grape growers successful management of bunch rot and powdery mildew* on wine, table and raisin grapes. Mevalone is a specialty crop protection product with a novel soft chemistry and unique mode of action. Successfully used by European growers for years, Mevalone is now registered in CA and available in 16 other states including: AL, AZ, FL, GA, ID, IL, MI, MO, MS, NC, NY, OR, PA, TX, WA and WV. 

Mevalone’s curative action on wine, table and raisin grapes against spore germination, and preventative benefits when applied at the recommended timings, have demonstrated its equivalence to the best conventional standards available today.

"Mevalone's curative action against spore germination, and preventative benefits when applied at the recommended timings, have demonstrated its equivalence to the best conventional standards available today," said Giovanni Mattaini, VP, Regulatory and Development. "It fits perfectly into integrated disease management programs, always ready to control Bunch rot, (Botrytis) and powdery mildew* when conditions are favorable for their development." 

For growers looking at resistance management options, Mevalone has one of the lowest risks of developing Botrytis resistance as a FRAC Group BM01 Biological. Replicated university and third-party cooperator trials with Mevalone (2007 to 2023) have shown no risk of interference with fermentation or the winemaking process, and no effect on aromas. With only a three-day preharvest interval (PHI) and a 12-hour reentry interval (REI), Mevalone is very accommodating for any disease conditions that may occur each growing season. Mevalone can be applied up to four applications per season. 

Mevalone's naturally derived Active Ingredients (AI), Thymol (garden thyme), Geraniol (Damask rose), and Eugenol (clove oil), are part of a large class of plant secondary metabolites called terpenes (isoprene polymers) that exhibit a safe toxicological and environmental profile and do not affect the taste of wine. These highly effective actives were found to be exempt from the requirements of a tolerance—the maximum amount of a pesticide allowed to remain in or on a food commodity—and allow Mevalone a maximum residue limit (MRL) exemption in USA. This means that vineyards can export product outside the USA as compared to other fungicides with MRL limitations. 

Mevalone is formulated with Eden Research's patented Sustaine^® Technology. Compared to other terpene-based fungicides that have come to market, Sustaine Technology controls the volatility of terpenes, allowing the terpene payload to release in wet conditions, while holding the payload as wet weather dries out. The ability to control disease when conditions are optimal for fungal growth has resulted in up to a four-fold efficacy improvement over other terpene products, while providing a solvent- and microplastic-free formulation, which is safer for our environment. 

Mevalone can also be used in conjunction with Annuity™, a unique new concentrated suspension blend of liquid organic matter that enhances low-quality soil structure, provides increased nutrient retention and promotes healthy root development, for grapes, nut trees and citrus, resulting in higher crop yields and plants.

* Use is approved by the EPA but is awaiting approval in California