Before launching its Blexia bio-protection range, Ascenza tested its new natural protection products on farmers' premises.
Between social demands and production imperatives, farmers face complex issues. To support them in this transition, Ascenza has been developing natural products adapted to different types of crops over the last three years. Among the six products in the Blexia range, some are specially adapted to vines, such as the fungicides Carpet and Equiset. Between 2020 and 2021, Ascenza tested these natural protection products with winegrowers, who reported on their experience.
Carpet: simple and effective.
A solution based on sodium hydrogen carbonate, Carpet has a physicochemical action that dries out powdery mildew cells.
"I've seen how effective Carpet is at drying out powdery mildew cells in the vineyard in untreated controls at the French Regional Biovigilance Institute (FREDON)," confirms a winegrower from the Loire Valley region.
2021 was a rainy year, so this farmer also noted that "given the conditions we experienced, Carpet was more effective".
This natural solution can be easily combined with another crop protection product, be it a conventional fungicide program or sulfur.
In both cases, the use of Carpet makes it possible to reduce doses while maintaining effectiveness in the fight against powdery mildew.
This product has been designed to be easy to use, as one winegrower in the south-east of France confirms: "The product comes in the form of a fine powder that is easy to mix." Another grower says that "Carpet disappears immediately in the spray water, it's very soluble".
Everyone notes that Carpet's action is selective and that there are no marks on either the leaves or the fruit.
Equiset: a bio-protection tailored to your needs.
Developed from horsetail extracts, Equiset is above all a preventive protection product that strengthens plant defenses.
"The storage, handling and application of Equiset are perfect," says a winegrower from Maine-et-Loire in France. With vineyards that are less vulnerable to disease, winegrowers can reduce the number of treatments they use, as a producer in the Central Loire Valley region explains: "Equiset is one of the ways to limit the use of conventional plant protection products and meet the demands of our wine buyers.
There's no strong smell," explains another producer. Our vineyard is on the outskirts of Angoulême (in the Cognac production area), and the houses are right next to our plots... "- which shows how important this factor is!
Bio-protection, an essential partner.
At a time when society is becoming increasingly aware of crop management and when regulations are stricter, particularly with the increase in non-treatment distances, the natural solutions in the Blexia range are a powerful instrument for change. For sustainable agriculture that complies with the European "Farm to Fork" and "Green Deal" objectives, bio-protection is an ally that agriculture can now rely on.