A new article which was originally published in the 2021 Seed Treatment Special Magazine has highlighted the benefits of Plant Health Care’s Saori™ seed treatment, the firm’s first product utilising its PREtec technology which is expected to launch later this year. 

Saori™, which is recommended for the management of foliar diseases, is the only registered product for seed treatment in Brazil and recommended for the control of soybean rust. 

The product, initially branded as PH279, became the first product from the group’s PREtec platform to be commercialised and receive federal approval for sale in Brazil.  

The new report, which was curated by Plant Health Care’s Technical and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Sergio Luiz de Almeida, as well as Director of PHC Brazil, Rodrigo Egea de Miranda, said: ‘The Saori™ brand has the meaning of “sacred soil” among others and was selected because it connects with the product’s core value proposition: protecting the plant from germination to maturity against the most important soybean diseases in Brazil.’  

Brazil was the first market to have a PREtec peptide approved ‘due to the priority that government agencies are giving to products recommended for Asian Soybean Rust (ASR).’ 

According to data published by Plant Health Care, Brazilian soybean farmers spent $2.85 bn on disease control in the 2019/20 season, around 90% of which was for ASR control.  

Both Plant Health Care and its partners have visited several soybean trials across Brazil.  The Company reported in March 2021 that preliminary results suggested ‘significantly improved early plant growth and enhanced early season disease control in Saori™ treated fields.’ 

According to the article, one of the first parameters evaluated in Saori™ trials was germination and vigor. Evaluations made 7 and 14 days after seed treatment indicated that Saori™ improved both germination and vigor of the soybean seeds, as showed in Figure 1.  

Figure 1. Effect of Saori™ in seed treatment on vigor and emergence of the plants. Itaara, RS, 2021. 

(Source: Agropages http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---40092.htm)  

‘During the vegetative stage of the soybean cycle, Saori™ evaluations for hidden ASR were performed before any foliar fungicide application.  Saori™ treated plants showed a reduction of the sporulation up to 80%, 48 days after the seed treatment,’ the report wrote. 

In another trial where treated plants were inoculated with ASR spores, Saori™ was shown to reduce the number of ASR pustules by 77% after 14 days of the inoculation and inhibited the fungi sporulation (Figure 2). 

Figure 2. Pictures of the sporulation of the ASR pustules in the leaves of the Check treatment (left) and in the Saori™ treated plants (right), 14 days after inoculation. Rio Verde, Goiás, 2020. 

(Source: Agropages http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---40092.htm)  

In addition, Saori™’s effects were also shown to stay visible to the end of the soybean cycle.  

The below figure shows the visual differences among the check plot, the treatment where the foliar fungicide program was applied without seed treatment and where Saori™ was applied in seed treatment in addition to the standard foliar fungicide program.  

Figure 3. General view of the Saori™ seed treatment plot (right), the check treatment (left) and the standard foliar fungicide program, applied without seed treatment (center). Iracemápolis, SP, 2021. 

(Source: Agropages http://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---40092.htm)  

‘Data from 4 crop seasons showed that Saori™ not only promotes a delay of up to 14 days in the development of ASR but increases the effectiveness of the control provided by foliar fungicides by up to 45% and reduces the risk of developing resistance to existing fungicides.’ 

The article concludes that Saori™ is a biochemical seed treatment that ‘amplifies a plant’s natural defense, increasing plant health and yield and safeguards growers’ investment.’ 

Commenting on its progress, it said: ‘Since 2017/18, Saori™ has demonstrated its potential to improve ASR control and avoid fungicide resistance, bringing peace of mind to soybean growers and an average gain of 3 bags/ha, representing 6x grower return on investment.’ 

It added, “On top of ASR control, Saori™ has demonstrated efficient control of other soybean diseases that have become a big concern to the growers.” 

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