FMC launches biological fungicide at the Brazilian Cotton Congress

FMC, an agricultural science company, is participating in the 13th Brazilian Cotton Congress, which takes place between August 16 and 18, 2022, in Salvador (BA), to exchange information with cotton farmers, experts and researchers and bring innovations to the sector, one of them being the biofungicide Provilar. FMC is a pioneer in the biological market in Brazil and seeks biological solutions for the sustainable management of the crop, always seeking to deliver technologies, services and solutions to control the main cotton pests and diseases.

“Provilar innovates by bringing into its formulation the action of two associated bacteria to combat white mold, a disease caused by a fungus, which has caused significant losses in several crops, such as cotton and soybeans. It is a product that brings versatility when applied, optimizing management for the farmer”, highlights Marcelo Magurno, business director for Brazil at FMC.

The history of Brazilian cotton is intertwined with the trajectory of FMC, which has long held leadership in the sector. Abrapa (Brazilian Association of Cotton Producers) emerged from the Fiber Club meetings promoted by the company. Furthermore, Prima Classe stands out, FMC's relationship program that delivers value to cotton producers, which celebrates more than 20 years of history, also promoting space for Fiber Women.

"Brazil is the fourth largest producer and second largest exporter of the fiber in the world. We produce this with more than 84% of its production certified by the Responsible Brazilian Cotton seal. FMC is alongside the sector, promoting actions and supporting initiatives, so that the farmer has productivity, profitability and continues to produce quality fiber", explains Fábio Lemos, cotton culture manager at FMC.

During the event, FMC will also present the ARC farm intelligence platform technology, based on advanced crop consultancy and machine learning, providing data and prior and analytical information for quick, early and assertive decision-making for the management of pests such as the Boll weevil. The platform is currently being used on more than 1,7 million hectares, in soybean, corn and cotton crops, in the states of Bahia, Mato Grosso, Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul, to control caterpillars of the genus Spodoptera and Bicudo- of the cotton tree.

For the 22/23 harvest, FMC will expand the functionalities of the Arc application with a new weather module and a web version, and also geographically to other states, such as Paraná, Minas Gerais and São Paulo. In addition, it will expand monitoring for important pests of soybean/corn/cotton cultivation systems, such as the corn leafhopper and Helicoverpa caterpillar, which have been causing numerous losses to farmers.