By Joseph Muita
Every flower stem counts hence successful farmers are smart to maximize yields through crop protection. Do you?
Downy Mildew is one of the major fungal challenges to the floriculture industry whose control budget is about 20% of the total pesticide value. It occurs rapidly and the effect on the quality of roses is irreversible and the loss is irreparable.
Once it takes hold, it will defoliate a plant very rapidly. While total defoliation does not immediately kill a plant as would, say, an accidental application of an herbicide, its loss of photosynthesizing ability stresses and weakens the plant to a degree that it becomes totally unproductive, a situation from which it may never recover. Downy is extremely contagious and will spread throughout your rose garden quickly if left untreated, laying waste to all the plants within a very short time.
Botrytis is also an important disease commonly known as Grey Mold which changes during its life cycle from being saprophytic to parasitic and acknowledged for considerably reducing marketable quality of roses. Botrytis has high potential of developing resistance as a result of indecorous usage of pesticides.
Fungicides for Control
Choosing the most effective fungicides to prevent or eradicate rose downy mildew and botrytis can be tough and it’s for this reason that BASF introduced into the market two innovative fungicides; Orvego® for controlling Downy Mildew as well as Bellis® for the control of Botrytis.
Orvego® is an innovative fungicide of a new chemical class that works effectively against downy mildew and late blight in a broad range of specialty crops, (also against pathogens with resistances).
Orvego® combines the well-known active ingredient dimethomorph with the new fungicide Initium® to form a premium preventive shield. Crops are effectively protected, stay healthy longer and are able to develop to their full potential.
Orvego® also has an excellent regulatory profile, meeting not only your own needs but those of consumers and the environment.
It is characterized by four benefits to farmers:
- Excellent and highly active control of Oomycete (also called Peronosporomycete) diseases in many crops with excellent selectivity
- Innovative complex III inhibitor of a new chemical class and as such a new tool for resistance management
- Overall excellent regulatory profile with very favorable toxicological and ecotoxicological as well as environmental fate properties, resulting in excellent consumer and operator safety assessments
- Orvego® provides premium preventive action-provides excellent disease control even when applied shortly before it rains
Bellis® is a superior multipurpose fungicide for Botrytis having TWO unique active ingredients hence no cross resistance. Both a.i have local systemic and translaminar activity with limited bipetal translocation.
This gives the product a high value of lipophilicity and water solubility, enhancing the redistribution of the active ingredients over the whole leaf surface ensuring good coverage
GROWER BENEFITS
• Strong acropetal translocation which allows for full coating of the plant tissue and ensures maximum protection against pathogens
• Controls an extraordinary large number of diseases, providing you with security even if you are not aware of disease
• Bellis® is an IPM compatible product
Joseph Muita is the Technical Sales Representative- Flowers BASF
