Framed within our innovative line R&D of Natural Defensive Biotechnology, we have developed an initiative focused on finding alternatives to some of the controversial inputs allowed in both conventional and organic agriculture for the Control of pests and diseases, including copper-based fungicides, mineral oils and sulfur.

Cultifort offers a series of alternative and/or complementary products to replace or reduce Treatments based on formulations with copper, mineral oils, sulfur, or their derivatives, in the control of pests and diseases, both in woody crops and herbaceous crops, as well as in horticulture.

Alternatives for the gradual elimination of controversial inputs in agriculture

The proposed alternatives should not be considered as mere substitutions from one input to another, but will be incorporated into integrated strategies wider. In general, the health of the crop will be based on preventive and indirect management measures, preferable to the use of inputs from external sources. The choice of varieties adapted to local conditions, plant resistance, alternation of active ingredients, crop rotations, promotion of biodiversity and other cultural practices that ensure a resilient agroecosystem, will greatly contribute to reducing dependence on external inputs.

 

Control of pathogens (including certain pests) that affect and cause damage to plant tissues in the aerial part of plants is carried out primarily by regular spraying with products formulated with copper, mineral oils, and sulfur.

The Harmful effects of copper on microbial communities and other soil fauna (by drift), have led to EU regulatory restrictions on its use. The use of copper for phytosanitary purposes has been authorized in the EU up to 6 kg/ha/year of Cu metal until the end of 2018, being reduced to 4 kg/ha/year since January 2019. According to information obtained through consultations and interviews with experienced technicians and farmers, the limitation to 4 kg/ha/year seems acceptable to most, except in exceptional cases where certain endemic pests and diseases require exhaustive and continuous control due to soil and climate conditions that favor a higher incidence of these pests.

Numerous alternative compounds are being developed to reduce or replace copper inputs, but their use is poorly implemented.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO CONTROVERSIAL INPUTS IN AGRICULTURE?

ALTERNATIVES TO COPPER

  • Formulations with low copper content, with percentages between 2 and 6%, allow applications with lower copper inputs per hectare.
  • Natural formulations, applied to replace or reduce current copper doses, used alternatively or in combination with copper. Some of them are included in Annex II of Commission Regulation (EC) 889/2008, permitted for phytosanitary purposes in organic farming.
  • Inorganic substances: Zeolite for spraying and Kaolin against abiotic stresses and protection against biting/sucking insects.
  • Natural defense stimulants from plants, including calcium and silicon.
  • Biological control agents with various mechanisms of action against phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria and with a stimulating effect on the natural defenses of plants (for example Trichoderma spp.).
  • Chitosan, a natural polymer derived from chitin, directly effective against various microorganisms, and stimulating self-defense mechanisms.
  • Compost: Compost tea enriched with oriental plantain (Platanus orientalis) leaves, vermicompost and vermicompost tea.
  • Calcium polysulfide, Used in spraying to control fungal infections with some effect on insects and bacteria.

ALTERNATIVES TO MINERAL OILS

Mineral oils are applied for the insect and mite control. Their use ranges from 30-90 liters/ha/year. Their broad-based effects make these oils more versatile than other alternatives, which include:

  • Organic oils

Zeolite and Kaolin

ALTERNATIVES TO SULFUR

The amounts of sulfur applied in agriculture in the Mediterranean basin range between 15-20 kg/ha/year. There are no known alternatives currently in use.

WHAT PRODUCTS DOES CULTIFORT OFFER AS ALTERNATIVES TO CONTROVERSIAL INPUTS?

CUVIOL PLUS

En CUVIOL PLUS has been associated with copper with lignosulfonates and polysaccharides for the prevention of cryptogamic diseases. Produces a increase in self-defense groups of plants in addition to providing the antifungal and antibacterial action Copper. The characteristics of its formulation help stimulate plant development and correct copper deficiency in sensitive species. It is a stable product that is easily assimilated by the plant.

Its use is recommended in citrus fruits (especially in the satsuma group because it is sensitive to this deficiency), in herbaceous crops, fruit trees, vegetables, olive trees and vines, both by foliar and root application, and applied throughout the vegetative cycle, especially at times when climatic conditions are favorable to the development of diseases caused by fungi and bacteria.

Product certified for use in ecological agriculture (CAAE).

FOLIQUINO

FOLIQUINO It is a formulation based on aluminum lignosulfonate, derived from lignosulfonic acid, a complexing agent of natural origin, composed of a low molecular weight polymer, which gives it a high penetration and translocation capacity in the plant, both through the leaves and roots, with systemic ascending and descending. It introduces aluminum salts into the plant and promotes the synthesis of natural compounds that improve defense against certain fungal and bacterial pathogens in roots, trunks, branches, leaves and fruits. It also significantly improves the sap circulation, enhancing the effect of any product with which it is mixed (synergy).

Thanks to its formulation, stimulates plant development with the introduction of manganese and zinc, essential microelements directly related to growth.

Product certified for use in ecological agriculture (CAAE).

SPIRALIS ECO LONG LIFE

SPIRALIS ECO LONG LIFE It is a fertilizer solution that contains manganese and zinc in an ecological chelated form, together with a complex of selected organic acids and peptides, related to green and red algae, which facilitate their assimilation by the plant and enhance the effect bioprotector against various abiotic stress factors.

SPIRALIS ECO LONG LIFE promotes the induction and facilitates the mobilization of precursors, which are stored in vacuoles and plastids, of the natural defenses of plants, thereby enhancing the synthesis of endogenous molecules, with high defensive capacity and with systemic. The synthesized endogenous defensive molecules induce structural changes in the cell walls of plants at the level of their lignification, thus constituting a physical barrier against abiotic stress.

Product certified for use in ecological agriculture (CAAE).

CULTISAN

CULTISAN It is a liquid formulation of chitosan, a natural polymer from the shell of crustaceans, and amino acids derived from the enzymatic hydrolysis of plant proteins.

From the nutritional point of view It stimulates plant development, delays senescence and extends productive life., also exercises a function bioprotective by activating self-defense mechanisms of plants against certain fungi and bacteria.

It has been demonstrated that Preventive action by inhibiting mycelial growth and sporulation in various types of fungi, such as Alternaria spp., Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum glosporoides, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizopus stolonifer y Penicillium spp., and in bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas Plectobacterium y xanthomonas, among others.

Es biodegradable, non-toxic and bioactiveIt strengthens the root system, improves rooting, and increases the plant's resistance to infections by certain pathogens.

Product certified for use in ecological agriculture (CAAE).

CULTISAN Cu

CULTISAN Cu It is a liquid combination of copper chelate EDTA with chitosanThis formulation takes advantage of the synergy between the protective power of copper and the improvement of antifungal and antibacterial defenses induced by chitosan, so that it provides two fronts of action:

  • Inside: Copper is an element involved in plant self-defense and necessary for many plant functions, while chitosan strengthens plant tissues, both roots and shoots, and stimulates plant growth and defenses.
  • External: Foliar applications of chitosan create a protective film around tissues that prevents colonization by external agents such as fungi or bacteria.

In this way, the crop is protected by the CULTISANO Cu double action, efficiently preventing the attack of fungi and bacteria and avoiding the problem before it appears.

CULTISILK

CULTISILK is a potassium solution with silicon and amino acids, for foliar and root application. As a source of potassium and silicon, it improves plant growth and strengthens its resistance to environmental factors boosting the plant's defenses. Silicon is a structural element that strengthens the cell wall, strengthening the physical support of the plant and protecting it from attack by external agents.

Also has synergies with calcium, magnesium and potassium, improving its absorption and transport in the plant. It is especially indicated to prevent lodging of cereals, fungal diseases in all types of plants, attacks of sucking insects and improvement general mechanical capabilities to withstand wind, rain and other types of physical and chemical stress (salinity and water stress, among others).

Among the main benefits are:

  • Prevents Phytophthora.
  • Helps prevent powdery mildew and mildew.
  • In rice it has been proven that silicon presents excellent resistance against diseases such as rhizoctonia, blast, Helminthosporium, Rinchosporium, Sarocladium, among others.
  • In cereals, in general, it helps prevent lodging.
  • In vines it prevents grey rot (Botrytis cinerea).
  • In olive trees, it reduces damage caused by flies by preventing or hindering bites.