The new InfinitoŽ has already established itself in the market as a highly-effective potato fungicide – within only a few years of its introduction. The first registrations were obtained in 2006; in the meantime, Infinito can be used to control potato late blight (Phytophthora infestans) in nearly twenty countries. The latest registration was granted in Japan at the beginning of 2008. The product will be marketed there under the trade name ReliableŽ.
Bad news for potato blight, but good news for Infinito: in the last few years, the product has been able to demonstrate its strength in controlling the disease on above-ground parts and tubers, thereby protecting the entire potato plant. To achieve this, it draws on the combination of two highly-effective active substances: propamocarb-HCl und fluopicolide.
Fluopicolide is a new active substance from Bayer CropScience’s Research Unit. It has a unique mode-of-action that leads to a rapid destabilisation of fungal cells. Products based on this innovative active substance stand out by virtue of the long-term, consistently high level of protection they provide to crops, as well as through their favourable environmental profile.
Fluopicolide’s new mode-of-action
Fluopicolide acts by disrupting the pathogen’s cell structure. It inhibits the formation of spectrin-like proteins that are assumed to play an important role in the stabilisation of the pathogen’s cells. This unique mode-of-action is effective against all of the most critical stages of the pathogen’s life-cycle. However, fluopicolide’s main target is the zoospore stage: the spores stop moving within seconds of coming into contact with the active substance; then they swell-up, and eventually, burst. Fluopicolide also reduces sporulation and suppresses the growth of fungal mycelia within plant tissues. Moreover, it inhibits both direct and indirect sporangial germination.
Fluopicolide’s partner in Infinito is the time-tested active substance propamocarb-HCl, which has been on the market for 30 years now. Propamocarb-HCl influences fatty acid synthesis, so it has a completely different mode-of-action from fluopicolide. The two active substances complement each other very well to provide the effective, long-term protection that Infinito affords. Both possess systemic and trans-laminar distribution properties. Active substance taken up by the stem is thus transported to other parts of the plant, which means that newly-grown plant tissues can also be protected from infection.
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