Bayer CropScience`s Infinito® receives best combined rating

Monheim (Germany) – At the EuroBlight workshop in Bologna, Italy, held in May 2007, Bayer CropScience´s Infinito® (fluopicolide + propamocarb-HCI) received the best combined rating of all established or newly developed potato fungicides. As in an earlier workshop held in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2005, the EuroBlight working group updated a common fungicide evaluation table. The outstanding position of Infinito® was confirmed. Moreover, the rating for Infinito® concerning tuber blight control was increased to the maximum level. Infinito® stands out for its remarkably consistent and high-level efficacy and for the comprehensive protection it provides.

The rating reflects the opinion of the fungicides working group, consisting of leading researchers and independent scientists for potato disease management as well as representatives from the crop protection industry. It is based on field experiments and experience of the product performance. The complete table can be found at www.euroblight.net.

Infinito® was developed for the control of late blight in potatoes and downy mildews in vegetables and launched successfully in 2006 in China, Korea and the United Kingdom. Currently, it is sold in European key markets like Germany, Austria and Poland as well. Recently, Infinito® has received market registration in the Netherlands, where the product will be available for potato farmers in time for the 2007 season. Other fluopicolide based products are also scheduled for introduction in Colombia and Indonesia during this year. The company expects Infinito® to be registered in further major markets worldwide during 2007 and 2008.

EuroBlight is a European network of scientists and other specialists working on potato disease control. The objective of the workshop is to present and discuss recent results on integrated control of late blight (Phytophthora infestans) and early blight (Alternaria spp.). Topics discussed on the workshop include e.g. efficacy evaluation of fungicides, epidemiology of both early and late blight or host resistance.

Fluopicolide is one of the newest active ingredients in Bayer CropScience’s fungicides portfolio. Its novel and unique mode of action leads to rapid destabilization of fungal cell structures and allows it to provide robust high-level control of late blight and downy mildew diseases. Products based on this innovative active ingredient provide a long-lasting and very effective protection for plants as well as favorable residue and environmental profiles, enabling them to meet the stringent requirements of the food chain. This profile makes Infinito® the product of choice in integrated crop management.

Bayer CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 5.7 billion (2006), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,900 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.newsroom.bayercropscience.com