The March waters close the summer in Brazil's main fruit-producing regions. The high incidence of rain increases humidity, which can accumulate excess water in crops and produce mud. This is the ideal environment for the proliferation of disease-causing bacteria in vegetables and fruits, warns UPL's Marketing Manager for fungicides Marcelo Figueira.
"Rain is essential for the success of agriculture. Its excess, however, can open the door to the spread of bacterial diseases. In some crops, such as tomatoes, these problems can cause 25% loss, which impacts not only in the producer's profitability, but in the final price for the population", highlights the expert.
According to Figueira, the dozens of species of bacteria most common in the country need heat, in addition to water, to develop. "In the Southeast, the period of greatest concern is from September to April. In this area, São Paulo and Minas Gerais are especially affected. In the coastal areas of the Northeast, the period is from May to September."
One of the most efficient resources against bacteria is the active ingredient casugamycin, which has an antibiotic function and inhibits the incorporation of amino acids in ribosomes – which are the cells responsible for protein synthesis – of bacteria and fungi. With this action, compounds made with kasugamycin help to effectively protect crops against phytosanitary problems.
"This active ingredient is present in Kasumin, a product developed by UPL and registered in Brazil to combat around 20 species of bacteria in more than 60 agricultural crops. This solution, of biological origin and obtained through natural fermentation, has effective penetrating action, with preventive and curative effects, in addition to high selectivity", says Marcelo Figueira.
Kasumin has a low waiting period – 1 day for tomatoes, for example – and treats the main diseases that affect fruit and vegetables, such as blast, canker, blackleg, cercosporiosis, spots (angular, haloed, bacterial, watery and leaf), eye- brownness, rot (soft and stem), pustule, burning
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