Page 27 - AWA Vol.41-No.2

SOIL NUTRITION

An innovative solution for Cocoa Black Pod Disease control in Ghana

ocoa production, a significant eco- product was then approved by the Cocoa
Cnomic driver in many African coun- Board.
tries, faces numerous challenges. Fluctuat- Certis Belchim: a new player in the world
ing global market prices, climate change, of crop protection
and the constant threat of diseases such as
the Cocoa Black Pod pose significant pres- Certis Belchim, a Mitsui & Co., Ltd. com-
sures. pany, created in 2022 through the merger
of two major players in crop protection in
The Cocoa Black Pod disease, triggered Europe, embraces the expertise and values
by the pathogens Phytophthora palmivora of its legacy companies. Certis Belchim’s
and Phytophthora megakarya, has been wall synthesis, on the plant surface and on ambition, from its strong foundations in
a persistent menace for cocoa farmers in the mycelium growth inside the plant. It has Europe, is to address a worldwide market,
Ghana, reducing crop yield and quality curative and preventative activity thanks to working to develop sustainable solutions
and impacting the livelihoods of countless its action on spore germination, mycelium for African, Latin American and Asian agri-
farmers and the nation’s economy. growth and sporulation. Valifenalate re- cultures. The company’s mission is to devel-
Valis Plus: an outstanding and innovative mains active for up to 14 days, providing a op and deliver sustainable and innovative
solution to control Cocoa Black Pod Disease long-lasting effect and serving as a key tool crop protection solutions driven by the best
Ghanaian cocoa production needs strong, for resistance risk management. technical advice and market understand-
innovative and sustainable solutions. In re- Copper acts on the inhibition of germina- ing. It links research-based innovation with
sponse to this challenge, Certis Belchim tion of the fungi spores and has a multi-site the creation of effective solutions for real
has developed Valis Plus, a unique and mode of action, blocking the respiratory problems facing farmers on the ground.
exclusive tool that improves control pro- processes; slowing down the biosynthesis The launch of Valis plus is an example of its
grammes whilst managing the risk of resis- of the proteins; and reducing the mem- expanding footprint beyond the European
tance development. The fungicide is based brane activity and the transfer of elements. market.
on valifenalate, combined with copper oxy- Copper hydroxide quickly releases cupric How Certis Belchim and Mitsui & Co. Ltd.
chloride, and copper hydroxide in a high- ions for high impact knock-down action, contribute to the sustainable production of
quality, unique Water Dispersible Granule while copper oxychloride releases cupric cocoa with solutions like Valis Plus
(WG) formulation that is easy and safe to ions over a ten-day period, providing per- With a strong focus on sustainability, the
handle. With a composition of 60g/kg vali- sistence of action. combination of technical expertise and
fenalate + 150g/kg copper oxychloride Valis Plus has the lowest copper load in innovation, and an understanding of grow-
+ 150g/kg copper hydroxide, Valis Plus the market, offering the same performance ers’ challenges, Certis Belchim is proud to
is a unique formulation offering multi-site as its competitors but with less environ- provide a positive answer to Ghana Cocoa
mode of action from the two forms of cop- mental impact. The dose rate is 75 g per Board’s call for a much-needed fungicide
per. knapsack sprayer of 15 litres, and it is con- to ensure good protection of cocoa pods.
Valifenalate, belonging to the CAA group veniently packed in 75-gram bags. It must Thanks to its excellent rainfastness, pre-
of fungicides, binds to the cuticle wax layer, be applied thoroughly to the healthy pods, ventative and curative action with effective
forming a reserve of active substance and from cherelle stage to the green mature knock down as well as persistent activity
providing excellent rainfastness, which pods, and sprayed every four weeks from and ease and flexibility of use, Valis Plus of-
gives flexibility to the grower. From there it May/June to October/November. fers a sustainable solution for cocoa farm-
penetrates the leaf and pod and slowly and Valis Plus was extensively tested by the ers in Ghana and will contribute to the lon-
gradually spreads inside the treated part of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) gevity of cocoa production in the region.
the plant, reaching its optimum concentra- in large scale trials conducted over two We can look forward to a future where
tion. Through translaminar movement, ap- years. Results showed that disease control cocoa production is not only profitable but
plication to the upper leaf surface also pro- and yield of fermentable pods following also sustainable, ensuring the livelihoods
tects the underside of the leaf. The active Valis Plus treatments matched those from of farmers and the satisfaction of chocolate
ingredient is effective on the spores’ cell the commercial reference product. The lovers worldwide. Circle 37 on enquiry card

Biobest improving IPM decision-making

iobest has upgraded its Crop- as direct contact with Biobest advisors.
BScanner™ scouting web portal, What’s new in the Crop-Scanner™
further streamlining scouting efficiency Web Portal?
and improving IPM decision-making. • Comprehensive IPM overview page
“Continuing to innovate, we have lis- – View pest and disease trends across thing we do,” adds Jolien. “By refin-
tened to customer feedback and en- multiple phases in one dedicated sum- ing our digital solutions, we empower
hanced Crop-Scanner™ functionality, mary. growers with the tools they need to
with intuitive navigation, multi-issue vi- optimise IPM programs and maximize
sualization and an improved treatment • New ‘IPM Page’ – Compare multiple crop health”.
workflow,” says Jolien Bisschop, Product pests, diseases, and applied treatments
Manager at Biobest. using interactive graphs and heatmaps, Growers can access the updated Crop-
making it easier than ever to assess IPM
Developed in collaboration with strategies. Scanner™ web portal immediately. For
the best experience, download the lat-
ecoation, Crop-Scanner™ enables fast est version of the Crop-Scanner™ mo-
and direct entry of scouting-data into • Improved treatment workflow – A re- bile app from the App Store or Google
smartphones and tablets. Delivering re- fined ‘Add Treatment’ feature simplifies Play—and enable auto-updates to stay
al-time overviews of pests and diseases treatment planning, enabling faster and ahead of the latest improvements.
in the greenhouse, this dynamic app more accurate data entry.
enables in-depth data-analysis, as well “At Biobest, innovation drives every-
Circle 38 on enquiry card
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