Xilon® winner of the Crop Science Award for best organic crop protection product
The latest “made in Austria” innovation prevailed over multinational companies and was honoured at the Crop Science Awards.
The soil fungicide Xilon® was named best organic product at the Crop Science Awards 2020. The latest innovation from Austria was able to prevail over multinational companies and thus ensured that Kwizda Agro was the first Austrian family business to be honoured with this prestigious award. Three factors were conclusive for the final decision: Xilon® is the first organic soil fungicide to offer a broad spectrum of activity while its granular formulation makes it easy to apply in a range of arable crops. And thirdly, it can be custom used in resistance management in organic and conventional agriculture. With the groundbreaking biofungicide Xilon® the Austrian family-owned company Kwizda Agro underlines its development competence in the European market and positions itself as a visionary in organic crop protection.
Kwizda Agro contributes significantly to sustainable agriculture in harmony with nature and in accordance with the EU Commission’s Green Deal. “Our investments in research and new development are geared entirely towards organic solutions. At the same time, Kwizda Agro develops individual spraying plans with farmers and enables them to have flexible crop protection and effective resistance management,” says Ronald Hamedl, Managing Director of Kwizda Agro. “To show farmers the benefits and opportunities, a team of four organic agriculture consultants was also put together. This is another important step towards establishing a sustainable value chain.”
The research and development of crop protection products in Austria contributes significantly to the achievement of the goals set in the Green Deal. For example, Kwizda Agro is developing its own organic solutions for agriculture in its business unit New Technologies. “These efforts and the commitment to sustainable agriculture are recognised and honoured by the award,” emphasises Catalina Bardewyk, Head of the “New Technologies” business unit. “Kwizda Agro is actively developing organic alternatives for arable crops. With Xilon® we are meeting our claim to serve future markets with appropriate options at an early stage. In the future we want to act as a strong and relevant partner for the development and distribution of organic products.”
Xilon® strengthens the plant’s immune system
Xilon® is the latest innovation from Kwizda Agro and is based on the licensed active ingredient T34, a powerful Trichoderma strain from the university spin-off Biocontrol Technologies. Kwizda Agro’s biofungicide is the only product which protects crops and their roots from the beginning against various soil-borne diseases. It also has a positive effect on soil vitality, health and stress resilience of the plant. Thus Xilon<sup>®</sup> also protects the plant against foliar diseases and can be used in an integrated spray program in which individual foliar applications are replaced.
Kwizda Agro contributed its extensive expertise in the areas of formulation, registration and marketing to the development of Xilon®. The product is already registered in numerous Central and Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia for Fusarium and mycotoxin reduction in corn and Sclerotinia control in soybean and sunflower. In addition, Xilon<sup>®</sup> is in the final evaluation phase in Austria, Germany and Slovakia and will soon be registered there as well.
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