OREANDA-NEWS. BASF has received registration approval from the Brazilian authorities for Xemium, its latest blockbuster fungicide from the carboxamide family. BASF can now offer Brazilian soybean growers a novel technology and new mode of action to combat and strengthen fungal resistance management.

The first Xemium-based product to be commercialized in Brazil is Orkestra(tm). With a unique combination of two active ingredients (Xemium and F500(r)), Orkestra will help growers to combat Asian soybean rust, one of the most damaging threats to soybean yields. It combines two different modes of action, which provides growers a built-in resistance management tool. Furthermore, Orkestra delivers benefits that increase plant health, offered under the AgCelence(r) brand: With Orkestra, soybean plants can transform water, light and nutrients into energy and grains more efficiently.

"We are pleased that Xemium is now available to Brazilian soybean growers, which means that we deliver on our promise to offer novel solutions to those growers who ensure the global availability of soybeans," said Rolf Reinecke, Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing Fungicides, BASF Crop Protection. "Xemium builds on our long and innovative history in the area of carboxamide fungicides, which began in 1974. We will keep investing in this and other areas of fungicide research, so that we can continue helping growers increase the quality and quantity of their yields."

Xemium-based products are planned to be launched in more than 100 crops in 50 countries around the globe. Xemium is expected to achieve a peak sales potential in excess of €400 million and will further strengthen BASF's leading position in the fungicide market.