Every crop has specific requirements that would be considered ideal for its growth. Meeting those requirements when there are varying environmental factors involved is a challenge. UPL’s crop protection products have been evolving to help growers meet this challenge. Herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and acaricides are available in different forms and can even provide broad-spectrum protection and resistance management. Many of these crop protection products also have flexible formulations so the localized needs can be met. Looking to move beyond conventional crop protection, we invested in creating biosolutions that contribute to crop health in both direct and indirect ways. The future of agriculture and crop protection is combining the best of both these technologies. With this in mind, we launched our integrated crop health solution program, ProNutiva.
Integrating Biosolutions for Sustainable Crop Protection
While they are not an alternative to conventional crop protection, the complementary use of biosolutions can reduce the use of fertilizers, enable the crops to grow better, and increase their resistance. This provides a more sustainable approach that is beneficial for grower’s needs as well as the environment.
ProNutiva’s portfolio includes multiple types of biosolutions:
Bioprotection
Biostimulation
Bionutrition
These biosolutions together with the integrated management of pests, weeds, and diseases lead to an increase in the yield and quality of crops.
A Customized Solution for Each Crop
No two crops are the same and the crop protection methods that they require are different. UPL supports the need of today’s growers through ProNutiva by providing customized crop protection solutions for them. ProNutiva isn’t just about combining products, the proper integration of biosolutions and crop protection products and seed treatment solutions can match and in some cases, even exceed the expected benefits. A ProNutiva program is a tailored approach to plant protection and nutrition that is customized for the requirements of the crops. It can cover the needs of the plants throughout the entire crop cycle or at specific developmental stages. The application can be done by seed treatment, in the row, by fertigation, or by spraying. The applications themselves can be of separate or combined biosolutions and crop protection products.
Results in the Real World
The ProNutiva program has seen successful trials in multiple countries. Growers reported a decrease in the incidence of phytotoxicity and high-temperature stress, and lower residue levels, along with crops that have a higher yield and better quality. Here are some of our success stories:
Brazil
In Brazil, ProNutiva was used to support the production of soybeans, wheat, sugarcane, corn, rice, banana, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, chard, and arugula. All the growers reported satisfactory outcomes that included increased yield, better disease control, and improved crop quality, among other benefits. ProNutiva program has also been implemented by the Hasegawa Group, the largest producer of vegetables in Brazil, as they sought to seek the Global Gap Certification - ‘the ISO of agriculture’ - for physiological and nutritional management to cultivate quality food without residue.
Italy
Italy has a growing need for high-quality food products with residue levels much lower than the current Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). ProNutiva grape trials were established in Piemonte to achieve residue levels that are as close to zero as possible. Spirox and Vacciplant were applied at different stages of crop development to control powdery mildew, one of the primary grape fungal diseases in Europe. The results were tremendous, with the powdery infestation levels for ProNutiva being 1.49%, even lesser than the 2.49% of the conventional sulfur treatment, which leaves high residues in the grapes and can cause issues in the winemaking process that affect taste and aroma.
Apart from this, ProNutiva has also seen success in trials conducted in Hungary and Poland. As ProNutiva can improve growing economics and help meet the needs of global food chain requirements in addition to supporting sustainable agriculture practices, we look forward to bringing it to more growers around the world who can benefit from it.
References:
https://www.upl-ltd.com/downloads/UPL_Sustainability_Report_2019-20.pdf