AgNova has announced a new distribution agreement with BASF Australia for the strobilurin fungicide Stroby WG.
Stroby WG is registered for the control of black spot in apples and pears, and for powdery mildew control in apples.
Andrew Glover, business manager for AgNova, described the new distribution arrangement as an excellent opportunity for his team to gain experience in the pome fruit industry, which is going to provide further opportunities as the AgNova development pipeline unfolds.
“Stroby WG will become an important part of our fungicide portfolio for pome fruit and will complement other compounds that we will bring to this important segment of the crop protection industry in the future,” he said.
Stroby WG contains 500 g/kg of kresoxim-methyl, which was the first strobilurin compound to be commercialised after BASF developed a naturally occurring substance from the fungus Strobilurus tenacellus for use as a synthetic fungicide.
Kresoxim-methyl is a Group 11 fungicide that works by inhibiting energy production in the mitochondria of the fungal cells. Kresoxim-methyl has good vapour activity and is very effective in preventing spore germination, which requires a high demand for energy.
Mr Glover said an interesting side effect of the strobilurin fungicides is the phytotonic activity that results in crop leaves appearing greener after spraying. This translates to better plant health and has been measured in cereal crops where yields are shown to increase as a result of strobilurin treatment.
He said Stroby WG is safe on a range of beneficial arthropods and, importantly for pome fruit growers, it is safe to bees when used at flowering.
“The water dispersible granule formulation is used at a very low rate of 10 g/100 L and Stroby has a reputation for achieving excellent fruit finish.”
Mr Glover said the new distribution arrangement was a potential plus for both companies. “The existing distribution arrangement for BASF’s Zampro fungicide has proved to be very successful and we are expecting the same success with Stroby.”
