ADAMA has launched Actavan, a plant-based fungicide for grapes, in Australia and New Zealand, giving growers a botanical way to manage Botrytis by switching on the vine's own defences, Global Agriculture reports. It will be on sale in both countries from October 2026.
Made from beet extract, Actavan works as a Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) elicitor: it stimulates the plant's immune response before infection. According to ADAMA, it is fully biodegradable, non-toxic and compatible with integrated pest management programmes.
The product leaves no residue and needs no pre-harvest interval, which the company says gives growers more flexibility in disease control right through harvest and in post-harvest storage.
Actavan activates genes involved in producing enzymes that break down fungal cell walls and stimulates antimicrobial compounds called phytoalexins. The Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) has given it a new classification in P Group 11, recognising a distinct mode of action that growers can add to resistance-management programmes alongside conventional fungicides.
"Growers are increasingly looking for solutions that combine strong performance with flexibility and sustainability," said Jean Zonato, ADAMA's head of global fungicides, adding that the product brings a plant-derived mode of action that fits into existing programmes.
Photo: Tam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Source: Global Agriculture
Comments
(0)