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INTERACTIVE CORNER
Q A “In a few words”
Is Syngenta launching any new products for cut-flowers
this year?
Our new products development pipeline is
still rich with new portfolio. We have a couple
of products under development and some
still awaiting registration. We are optimistic
that we shall get the new registrations in due
course. In line with our vision of “bringing
plant potential to life”, we can affirm that we
are actively developing more innovative and
integrated crop solutions that will endeavor to
address both the grower’s and market needs in
a more sustainable way. The market has been
quite receptive to Hicure®, a new biostimulant
that we launched mid-last year and this has
given us the impetus to continuously innovate.
Do cut flower growers face similar challenges across all the
different growing regions in Kenya?
Yes. There are some common challenges
that growers grapple with irrespective of
their geographical locations. Some of the
notable challenges include pest and disease
pressures (e.g. botrytis, powdery mildew,
downy mildew, thrips and nematodes),
unpredictable weather conditions, water
constraints, fluctuating flower prices, stringent
certification requirements among many others
Growers who have adopted integrated pest
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management (IPM) strategies, are also faced
with other new challenges related to the
upsurge of secondary pests such as whiteflies
and mealybugs which were not major pests of
cut flowers before.
After using several sprays of Hicure® on cut-flowers are
there any negative effec