Afepasa presents AFEPASA Mg (incorporating Calix’s BOOSTER-Mag magnesium hydroxide) for pest control at the Fruit Attraction Conference, as a way to reduce the normal chemical dose against mildew, in an efficient, profitable, and sustainable way.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the EU announced it will be banning the fungicide Mancozeb due to off-target toxicity potential.
45 years after introduction, Mancozeb is widely used globally to manage a range of crop diseases and is a key active for the control of diseases in onion, potato, and grape. It joins a list of 44 substances already banned in the last 2 years, with another 11 still to be decided on later this year.
AFEPASA Mg has been designed to reduce the consumption of agrochemicals & the pressure of diseases & agricultural pests, in an effective, profitable & sustainable way.
Calix’s European bioactive magnesium oxide (MgO) partners have now completed another successful summer of field trials which have shown further compelling evidence our bio-active materials provide multi-spectrum benefits including magnesium (Mg) augmentation and disease and insect pest suppression
Results from the Netherlands indicate that Calix’s bioactive materials promoted healthier onion crop and performed well when used as a substitute for Mancozeb in grower standard treatment programmes.
Accordingly, planning by our partners is underway to extend the application of Calix’s materials in a wider range of crops including green-house, potato, flower bulbs and cereal crops.
Results from Italy and Spain indicate the intrinsic disease suppression efficacy of Calix’s materials allowed the use of conventional pesticide actives (commonly used in viticulture for both powdery and downy mildew control) to be substantially reduced without compromising outcomes.
Calix’s unique bioactive materials are derived from natural minerals and are non-toxic and non-bio accumulative.
Applied as a foliar spray, they provide plants with a highly assimilable source of magnesium and strengthen the plant against abiotic and biotic stress. Calix’s bioactive materials are safe, sustainable and enhance grower productivity.
OUR SOLUTION
Calix has developed BOOSTER-Mag, an easy-to-apply foliar spray that acts as both fertiliser and stimulates a plants natural ability to fight disease and pests. It demonstrably provides a substantial safety, simplicity, sustainability and productivity benefit.
Find out more about BOOSTER-MagA new solution for powdery and downy mildew on vines?
Protecting crops remains one of the greatest challenges faced by the wine growing sector.Powdery and downy mildew are serious diseases of grapevines globally. If not adequately controlled, both pathogens can substantially reduce yield and grape and wine quality.
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has now completed a study to determine whether the use of BOOSTER-Mag for vines disease has any effect on grape fermentation and wine quality.
The results clearly demonstrated that BOOSTER-Mag has no negative effect. This result is consistent with an equivalent European study – this is great news for the development of BOOSTER-Mag as a sustainable alternative to protect vines from mildew.
Robert van Merkestein about BOOSTER-Mag
A sustainable alternative to conventional pesticides
At Calix, we make a point of highlighting the challenges we want to solve.
The need for safe and environmentally friendly crop protection chemicals has never been greater.
Robert van Merkestein, Business Manager Bio-Active Materials at Calix Limited, explains how BOOSTER-Mag fills a growing need for safer crop protection solutions.
