BROTOMAX® boosts one of the fundamental cycles of plants, that of shikimic acid, which is responsible for the synthesis of important groups of metabolites among which are polyphenols, which are very important for the life of plants and their defence mechanisms.

BROTOMAX® does not directly introduce polyphenols to the plant, but influences their biochemical modulation, and leaves it up to nature to regulate and balance the activity. Polyphenols, in turn, promote the formation in the plant of phytoalexins, which are natural substances for self-defence that isolate and deactivate a series of fungal pathogens in plants.

In citrus trees, one of the problems that arises most often are attacks of fungal pathogens that cause root and collar diseases. Specifically, citrus fruits are heavily attacked by several fungal species including Phytophthora Parasitica var. nicotinae and Phytophthora citrophthora.Depending on the area in which these fungi produce the damage, this is called:

•        – Gummosis (if there is gummy exudate on the trunk).
•        – Rotting of the root collar (with damage on the trunk and/or rot in the roots).
• – Brown rot (rotting of the fruit).

In many cases we also see defoliation and drying of branches, weakening of the tree with a reduction of production quantity and quality, and even the death of the tree.

In the genus Citrus major types of phytoalexins are produced to combat the attack of pathogens: coumarins, flavanones, flavones and flavonoids, whose expression may vary from one species to another. In addition, there is the option of modulating the synthesis processes and/or accumulation of some of these types of phytoalexins by applying certain products, such as BROTOMAX®, as a preventive measure before the attack of pathogens.

Among the phytoalexins, a cumarina coumarin called scoparone is involved in the defence mechanisms/resistance to phytopathogenic fungi of the Phytophthora genus. In this sense, the preventive effect of BROTOMAX® as inducer of fitoalexina scoparone was demonstrated through a test conducted on the Nova Tangelo variety, a hybrid of Clementine mandarin, treated with BROTOMAX® via irrigation at a dose of 5 litres per hectare. In this test it was shown that a single application of BROTOMAX® increased the concentration of scoparone in treated roots, after 7 days, up to a maximum concentration, which was almost four times higher than that found in untreated roots (see Table 1).

Table 1

For this reason, BROTOMAX® is a natural compound capable of stimulating the formation of natural substances for plant defence, as is the case with phytoalexin coumarin scoparone, obtaining an induced biological protection.