The neonicotinoids restrictions imposed by the European Commission in 2013 present new challenges to farmers. However, due to Bayer’s thiacloprid-based seed-applied product Sonido™, there is an innovative solution available on the market on which some farmers can fall back. An interview with Björn Hardt, Global Key Account Management SeedGrowth at Bayer CropScience, on the benefits of Sonido™ and its market acceptance.
EU’s neonicotinoids restrictions have affected farmers and their businesses. Why can Sonido™ be an adequate solution for some of their problems?
“Farmers throughout Europe are feeling the impact of the restrictions: losses of treatment options which result in losses both in crop yields and quality, and finally losses of income. With Sonido™ we are able to offer farmers an innovative seed treatment solution for the use in maize, increasing again their treatment options and enabling them to benefit from seed treatment technology. It was developed for the control of important maize pests, namely wireworms and flies, and reduces the damage of these early pests. Sonido™ provides an overall excellent environmental profile including beneficial insects such as bees.”
How are farmers responding to this new seed-applied product?
“Last year a market study was conducted in France on Sonido™. The result was very encouraging. More than 85 percent of the interviewed persons appreciated Sonido™ because of its effectiveness in pest control. Furthermore, they stated that it measured up to the previous solutions. We developed a consistent technical positioning to address various pest pressure situations and recommend, for example, in certain high pest pressure situations to also integrate granular products. Obviously, the new solution provided by Sonido™ meets the needs and expectations of the market.”
How well is Sonido™ currently accepted in the market?
“Sonido™ was developed and registered just before neonicotinoids were restricted. Since the first registration in France in November 2012, we have received many approvals for Sonido™ throughout Europe in the last two years. It achieved a firm place in the market and was very well adopted especially in France but also other EU countries where maize farmers struggle with wireworms. Meanwhile we are treating well above 1.5 million hectares of corn in Europe with Sonido™. This shows how much growers appreciate this solution.”
