AGROSHIELD’S ALL-NATURAL BACILIFOL™ PROVES SUCCESSFUL AGAINST BOTRYTIS AND DOWNY MILDEW ON GRAPE PLANTS

Bacilifol is an all-natural bacillus amyloliquefaciens product that differentiates itself from similar strain products by the fact that it is marine-based wettable powder. AgroShield’s Bacilifol utilizes a beneficial bacterium called Bacillus to combat harmful plant diseases. This bacterium has been widely used in agriculture due to its ability to protect plants from a range of plant diseases while promoting plant growth. AgroShield conducted a trial in partnership with BAAR Scientific on the effectiveness of Bacilifol as a foliar spray to treat botrytis and downy mildew in vignole grapes.

The trial proved to be a great success with Bacilifol-treated plants exhibiting significantly better results than the control group. Botrytis, a fungus that affects certain grape varieties, gets into all vinifera grapes and always some of the French hybrids. In the trial, Bacilifol-treated grape plants showed a remarkable reduction in botrytis severity. The non-treated clusters had 49% botrytis, while Bacilifol-treated plants cut the severity of botrytis in half, regardless of whether it was one or two pounds of treatment. Additionally, by alternating Bacilifol with a botrytis-specific product called Elevate, the severity of botrytis decreased to 23%, which was still rather high but indicated the severity of the season. The Bacilifol and Elevate treatment was not significantly different from Bacilifol alone, which showed the potential of Bacilifol to reduce the severity of botrytis. 

Downy mildew is another disease that affects grapes, which occurs on the leaves later in the growing season. Bacilifol-treated plants also showed a reduction in downy mildew severity, although not as much as botrytis. The trial revealed that Bacilifol decreased downy mildew rates from 20% to 14% or 12%, depending on the rate of application. When Bacilifol was alternated with a downy mildew specialist called Ranman, the downy mildew severity decreased to 5%. 

The trial showed that Bacilifol increased the effectiveness of fungicide applications against botrytis and downy mildew, leading to longer-term efficiency and effectiveness. Additionally, Bacilifol reduced the amount of fungicide usage, which has a positive impact on the environment. Overall, Bacilifol is a promising solution for grape growers looking for an all-natural and effective way to combat botrytis and downy mildew. The trial conducted by AgroShield and BAAR Scientific proved that Bacilifol can significantly reduce the severity of these diseases, improving the quality and yield of grape crops.