Strobilurin Fungicides Insight

Market Overview

Along with its innovative mode of function and wide spectra, the group of strobilurin fungicides was given significant advantages over other fungicides by excellent performances in yield-increasing and environmental friendliness. Since its first launched in 1996, sales of strobilurin fungicides has enjoyed an average annual growth of 15.7% in five years and reached to $1.636 billion in 2007, which made the group a important role in European cereal market. Experts have estimated that sales of the strobilurins will maintain a growth at 2% in next years and become the mainstream in global fungicides market.

After 20 years of development, there are 16 strobilurin ingredients been launched or to be introduced in global crop protection market, strobilurin-based products and strobilurin-combined products have gained more and more registrations in major markets such as US and Japan. Combinations between the strobilurins and other fungicide can not only broad the spectra, but also slow the development of resistance. Furthermore, the introduction of strobilurin products encourage replacement of the existing products in fungicides market. Nearly all the top agrochemical companies have participated in R&D of strobilurin products and they succeeded in finding over 70,000 molecules and 566 patents. Thus the strobilurins are play more and more important role in crop protection market.

Mechanisms and usages

The strobilurins act by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration in fungi. They bind at the Qo-centre on cytochrome b and block electron transfer between cytochrome b and cytochrome c1. This disrupts the energy cycle within the fungus by halting the production of ATP.

They are effective against several different plant pathogenic fungi. Also, they have translaminar activity, which means they can move through treated leaves thereby providing control on both leaf surfaces. This group is unique in that these fungicides are the first synthetic, site-specific compounds to provide significant control of plant diseases caused by pathogens from all three major groups of fungi: Oomycota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota.

As a family, the strobilurin fungicides give high levels of activity against a wide range of crop diseases. Target diseases for nearly all strobilurin fungicides include downy mildew, rust, powdery mildew and many leaf spots (Alternaria, Cercospora, Myrothecium and Sphaceloma, which causes scab on poinsettia). Indeed, one of the key reasons for the outstanding commercial success of azoxystrobin is that it gives control of fungi from all four classes of plant pathogens, namely the Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, Deuteromycetes and Oomycetes. Therefore, azoxystrobin gives control of combinations of pathogens which was previously only possible through the mixture of two or more fungicides, e.g. downy and powdery mildew of grapevines. However, not all strobilurins are broad spectrum fungicides used on a wide range of crops. For example, metominostrobin from Shionogi has been developed for use exclusively on rice. Similarly, other strobilurins do not offer high level control of all four classes of fungal plant pathogens; kresoxim-methyl and trifloxystrobin are both relatively weak against rust diseases and downy mildews. Of the recently announced strobilurins, pyraclostrobin from BASF is a broad-spectrum strobilurin for use on a wide range of crops, whereas Syngenta’s picoxystrobin is a specialist cereal fungicide.

Key products

Products to be off-patent

Key Players & Commercial Products

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Brand Product

Disarm O, a member of the strobilurin class of fungicides (MOA Group 11), is a broad-spectrum foliar and drench systemic fungicide that offers control of many troublesome foliar diseases as well as soil-borne diseases such as rhizoctonia and phytophthora. Among the foliar diseases controlled by Disarm O are anthracnose, powdery mildew, rusts, and leaf spots. Disarm O may be used on plants growing in containers, benches, flats, plugs, and beds in greenhouses, shadehouses, nurseries, and interiorscapes. Rigorous testing has shown excellent plant safety. Read more>> OHP, Inc. P.O. Box 230，Mainland, PA 19451 Tel:1+(800) 659-6745 Contact a Regional Sales Manager

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