The company "Mikopro" from the science city of Koltsovo has developed an innovative biological product to combat the nematode. In terms of efficiency and safety, the product has no analogues not only in Russia, but also in the world, while it costs four times cheaper than foreign "competitors".
Nematodes are microscopic parasitic worms. Various types of nematodes infect tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, onions, strawberries and other crops, but potatoes are especially fond of. With a strong infection during cultivation and subsequent storage, 70-80% of the crop dies.
Chips potatoes are a favorite treat for the stem nematode. Watering makes it especially vulnerable and creates favorable conditions for the spread of the parasite. The cause of field infection is contaminated seeds, lack of crop rotation and timely diagnosis of the disease.
It is not always possible to detect infection during test digging, however, microdamage to tubers due to the destructive activity of nematodes and the ingress of foreign viruses and bacteria into them can lead to a complete loss of yield during storage.
Until recently, strong chemicals remained the only way to combat the nematode. However, the effectiveness of any chemical preparation decreases every year: the pests adapt and become resistant to the poison. Farmers have to increase the dosage, which leads to an increase in per hectare costs and, accordingly, the cost of production.
“If the rate is not increased, the chemical preparation will be able to destroy only weak individuals, and the infection problem will grow. Our biological product is devoid of this drawback,” says Anna Mishina, director of Mikopro.
Proven effectiveness against the nematode
At the heart of the development of Russian scientists is a predatory fungus-hyphomycete, a natural enemy of nematodes. With the help of trapping devices, the fungus forms sticky webs to capture the parasite, penetrates inside the pest and digests it. The effectiveness of the biological product in the destruction of cysts and larvae of nematodes in the soil reaches 86%.
In 2019, Nematofagin-Mikopro was successfully tested on the fields of the AFG National agricultural holding, where nematode infestation decreased from 25 to 1,5 percent in one season. In 2021, in the Novgorod region, the Rosselkhoznadzor lifted the quarantine for the golden potato nematode established a year earlier from a plot of 221,4 hectares - the drug cleared the contaminated soil from quarantine objects. To date, bionematicide has shown its effectiveness in 57 regions of Russia.
"Nematofagin-Mikopro" was the result of 20 years of scientific research and 8 years of testing in large fields. To date, this is the only drug to combat nematodes that combines efficiency and biological safety. It also helps to improve the mineral nutrition of plants and improve the quality of the crop.
“We have been supplying pilot batches of bionematicide across Russia since 2015. During this time, we improved the technology of applying and storing the drug for its successful integration into modern agricultural production, received Russian and Eurasian patents. Now in two weeks we can produce the drug in a volume sufficient to treat 12 hectares, which is equivalent to 480 tons of imported chemicals. Our task is to provide domestic agricultural producers with a more efficient, environmentally friendly and affordable alternative to chemicals of chemical origin,” says Anna Mishina.
Tel.: 8 800 550 47 44
