BASF launches Axalion^™ Active in Australia, with other markets to follow

Limburgerhof, Germany - Australia will be the first global market for the launch of BASF’s Axalion^™ Active, a novel insecticide active ingredient that controls harmful piercing and sucking insect pests. Uses for Axalion-containing products include fruits, vegetables, soybeans, legumes, cotton, cereals, beets, oilseed rape and ornamentals. Australian farmers will have first access to Axalion with the launch of Efficon^™ insecticide in April, with additional launches planned in Asia, Europe, and South America in the coming years.

Through its novel mode of action and its ability to spread within the plant, farmers can use Axalion to control many piercing and sucking insect pests, including whiteflies and aphids, that can cause devastating yield damage and subsequent revenue loss.

Axalion has no known cross resistance, which makes it effective against pests that have developed resistance to existing chemistries and can no longer be controlled with current market standards. Axalion is an excellent partner for insect resistance management programs and will become an essential part of a farmers’ toolbox for Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

“With Axalion, BASF is redefining modern pest control, supporting farmers by helping them protect their hard-earned harvests and legacies,” said Stephanie Jensen, Vice President Global Strategic Marketing Insecticides & Seed Treatment at BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division. “Axalion offers farmers a much-needed new and robust tool to safeguard their crops while helping ease the mounting resistance pressure on older products.”

While highly effective against target pests, Axalion has proven to be highly compatible with non-target organisms, including beneficial insects, when applied according to label instructions.

Australian farmers are the first growers in the world with access to Axalion

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has approved the use of Efficon insecticide, powered by Axalion Active, for use on a wide variety of vegetable crops. Efficon, containing the active ingredient Axalion, controls silverleaf and greenhouse whiteflies in cotton, cucurbit, and fruiting vegetable crops; green peach aphids and cabbage aphids in brassica and leafy vegetable crops and cotton (or melon) aphids in cotton and cucurbit crops.

“Efficon is a valuable addition to Australian farmers’ crop protection rotation, as it provides a superior level of whitefly control, and excellent control of aphids. It is effective at multiple stages of the target pests’ life cycles, so it quickly inhibits whitefly infestations more effectively than the previous industry standards,” said Gavin Jackson, Head of Agricultural Solutions for BASF in Australia and New Zealand. “The systemic properties offer growers a wide window of application timing during multiple growth stages, which allows Efficon to be used in combination with other BASF solutions, such as Versys^® Insecticide. When used together, Efficon and Versys offer unrivaled control of devastating piercing and sucking pests.”

About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions Division

Farming is fundamental to provide enough healthy and affordable food for a rapidly growing population while reducing environmental impacts. Working with partners and agricultural experts and by integrating sustainability criteria into all business decisions, we help farmers to create a positive impact on sustainable agriculture. That’s why we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, connecting innovative thinking with practical action in the field. Our portfolio comprises seeds and specifically selected plant traits, chemical and biological crop protection, solutions for soil management, plant health, pest control and digital farming. With expert teams in the lab, field, office and in production, we strive to find the right balance for success – for farmers, agriculture and future generations. In 2021, our division generated sales of €8.2 billion. For more information, please visit www.agriculture.basf.com or any of our social media channels.