Nematec registration process with MAPA is completed

The nematode deladenus siricidicola, a biological control agent for wood wasps, now goes by the trade name Nematec. The registration process took six years and went through several phases of analysis, including trademark and identity registration with the National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI).

Product registration is granted by MAPA, which works with ANVISA and IBAMA on technical and specific analyzes to grant registration. “The registration of a product recognizes its compliance with the legislation in force in the country”, explains researcher Susete Chiarello Penteado, from Embrapa Florestas. “This guarantees the user that the product meets the criteria established by law and the specific regulations of each body involved”, she adds. According to Marcelo Bressan, Mapa's Federal Agricultural Tax Auditor, “Embrapa's action to register the product demonstrates the seriousness of the work in compliance with Brazilian legislation, in addition to being an important point to help disseminate the technology, which now has a label, leaflet with indication of use, among other important requirements”.

As it is a biological control agent, the deladenus siricidicola received the recommendation to be registered via “Organic Agriculture - Phytosanitary Products with Approved Use for Organic Agriculture”. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, “pesticides or similar products that contain only products permitted in organic legislation, after due registration, receive the name “phytosanitary products with approved use for organic agriculture”. As they are considered products with low environmental impact and low toxicity, the legislation was designed with the aim of accelerating their registration without leaving aside concerns about health, the environment and agronomic efficiency”. Nematec is the first product with this registration for use on Deladenus siricidicola. “Registration provides greater technical and legal security to product users”, highlights Susete.

The nematode deladenus siricidicola was included in the list of “Pesticides with Authorized Monographs”, which indicates that the active ingredient has undergone regulatory evaluation and is suitable for agricultural, household, non-agricultural use, in aquatic environments or even as a wood preservative. The Monograph also indicates information such as the common and chemical names, the class of use, the toxicological classification and the cultures for which the active ingredients are authorized, with their respective maximum residue limits.

The wood wasp is the main pest of pine plantations in the country. A broad Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is conducted by Embrapa Florestas and Funcema (National Forest Pest Control Fund), in a public-private partnership that has been taking place since 1988, the year in which the wood wasp was introduced in the country. “The success of this program means that the pest is under control and avoids a loss of around US$25 million annually to the forest-based sector”, explains the General Manager of Embrapa Florestas, Edson Tadeu Iede. One of the pillars of IPM is the use of nematodes deladenus siricidicola as a biological control agent. “We reached an average of 70% pest parasitism and, in some places, up to 100%. The use of Nematec is extremely effective, in addition to not harming the environment”, he attests.

To register Nematec, Embrapa Florestas developed a series of actions, together with bodies in the state of Paraná, which resulted in: a) Certification of Registration to Embrapa Florestas, as manufacturer and formulator of the biological control agent - nematode Deladenus siricidicola, issued by the Agricultural Defense Agency of Paraná (ADAPAR), as well as the ADAPAR Authorization for the use and circulation of the NEMATEC product in the State of Paraná; b) Declaration of Exemption from State Environmental Licensing (DLAE) from the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP), to the forest entomology laboratory of Embrapa Florestas (manufacturer/formulator of nematode production Deladenus siricidicola). The laboratory also became part of Embrapa's Quality Management System. “It was a broad coordination between actors internal and external to the Unit”, highlights Regina Siewert Rodrigues, an analyst at Embrapa Florestas who coordinated the entire registration process, including intellectual property and business actions for the NEMATEC product. “In all phases of this process we made important adjustments to procedures, which brought benefits to the way Nematec was produced and made available”, she concludes.