Jan 24, 2024

Sipcam Agro USA introduces new grape biofungicide

Sipcam Agro USA has introduced a biofungicide available in other states now for use by California growers.

Mevalone is designed to treat winegrapes, table grapes and raisin grapes.

The Durham, North Carolina, based crop protection company released what it calls “A revolutionary biofungicide that offers grape growers successful management of bunch rot and powdery mildew,” according to a news release.

Mevalone is a specialty crop protection product with a unique soft chemistry and unique mode of action, according to the release. Successfully used by European growers for years, Mevalone is now registered in CA and available in 16 states including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

“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,” Giovanni Mattaini, vice president of regulatory and development, said in the release. “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, according to the release.

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, according to the release.

Mevalone is formulated with Eden Research’s patented Sustaine Technology. Compared to other terpene-based fungicides, 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, according to the release.

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.

Sipcam Agro USA Inc., is owned by the Sipcam-Oxon Group, a global privately owned Italian company recognized for its chemical formulation and manufacturing expertise.