Bayer unveils Attila fungicide at AgroBrasília 2024

Bayer's big news at AgroBrasília 2024 was the launch of the Attila fungicide, formulated with the innovative fluopyram molecule, described as "highly effective" against white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). According to the manufacturer, the new product "significantly reduces the potential for infection even in the first crop of use."

The first application of Attila, Bayer emphasizes, should be made preventively, when the first flowers appear in the lower part of the plants. From this point on, a second application and, in some cases, even a third will be necessary, depending on environmental conditions and the presence of flowers and apothecia in the areas.

"Attila has a very important characteristic for the control of white mold, which is its systemic action," emphasizes Bayer's fungicide sector. In other words, they explains, that when applied to the soybean plant, it will protect the flowers that are the gateway for the fungus to enter the plant.

"It is also a product that will not be washed away, it does not come off with rain. This is another very important characteristic of this fungicide," reinforces Bayer.

White mold is aggressive and has a wide range of host plants, affecting at least 400 different species. In addition, it proliferates rapidly within the crop, as each affected plant can produce dozens of sclerotia (fungus survival structures), which can remain viable for up to 10 years in the soil. This facilitates dissemination by wind, water, contaminated seeds and machine traffic between areas.

According to Embrapa, white mold is found in almost 30% of soybean plantations in Brazil and can cause productivity losses of up to 70%. The disease is characterized by symptoms such as lesions on waterlogged stems with clear margins, wilting, lightening of plant color and stem fragmentation. "White mold has a way of introducing itself inside the seed or next to the seed, through these structures. Once introduced, the disease has a characteristic of perpetuation for several years," explains Senio Prestes, agronomist.

Marcio Santos, commercial leader of Bayer's agricultural division

In addition to soybeans, Attila has registration in Brazil against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum for cotton and beans. "The unparalleled pressure of pests and diseases in Brazilian tropical agriculture demands that we deliver solutions that help to achieve, in a sustainable way, all the existing productive potential," emphasizes Marcio Santos, commercial leader of Bayer's agricultural division. According to him, the company's mission is to act as the main partner of rural producers in making crop decisions. "We do this based on knowledge and investment in data science, seeds, biological products and agrochemicals - in this way we have the most complete crop protection portfolio on the market today," concludes the Bayer manager.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)