BASF launches new biocide Serifel®

It has become increasingly difficult for farmers to produce and sell fruits and vegetables and meet all market demands. While ensuring the main objectives of crop quality, productivity and profitability, farmers must also face increasingly stringent regulations on food safety and environmental sustainability, as well as social and market constraints that are not easily overcome.

To cope with this situation and meet farmers' needs for healthy, high-yield and sustainable crops, BASF has developed Serifel®, a new biocide. This product achieves the best balance between crop protection and market demand.

The active ingredient of Serifel® is Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MBI 600 strain. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a natural bacterium that exists in the soil, and BASF isolated the MBI 600 strain from bean leaves for the first time. After being properly formulated and applied to crops, this bacterium can inhibit the growth of various pathogenic bacteria such as Botrytis cinerea that cause crop rot.

After application on crops, Serifel® prevents the occurrence of fungal pathogens in three different ways:

• Produce metabolites: Metabolites are produced by bacteria that grow on the surface of plants after application. The main metabolites of Serifel®, Iturine and surfactants are lipopeptides. The lipopeptide enters the cell membrane of the pathogen, changes its structure and growth process, and causes cell death.

• Crowded space: The bacteria in Serifel® occupy the physical space of the plant, preventing other parasitic microorganisms from living in the same space.

• Occupy resources: Serifel® can deplete the nutrients on the surface of the plant, so that the spores of pathogens cannot be absorbed and utilized.

This integrated mode of action prevents the development of pathogen-resistant strains, making Serifel® an excellent tool for deploying reliable resistance management solutions.

To ensure that bacteria inhabit and multiply, occupy space, produce metabolites and ensure their effectiveness, preventive use is essential.

The product has a small unit area consumption (0.5 kg/ha), which makes it more convenient to use, and requires less storage area and product processing capacity.

Serifel® has no maximum residue limits, reentry intervals and safe interval limits, which means that the product can be used before the crop is harvested. At the critical stage of the growing season, when the pathogen control tools are very limited, the special features of Serifel® can be fully utilized to maximize the flexibility of its use.