New packaging for Nemathorin nematicide granules has been created to enable clean and efficient operation during potato planting.
The new Granupac packaging features ergonomically molded handles to make filling hoppers mounted on potato cultivation and bed forming equipment easier for operators. Syngenta claims that the design also eliminates stacking rings that were vulnerable to damage on the existing Nemathorin Surefills.
Syngenta customer technical adviser, Caroline Linsdell, advises that growers will start to see the new packaging introduced on-farm during the 2023 planting season.
“The Granupac is fully compatible with the adaptors fitted to virtually all machines using existing Nemathorin Surefills, with no modification required.
“This investment in the new packaging reinforces the ongoing commitment to Nemathorin availability for growers over the coming years, as well as the long-term safe and responsible stewardship of the product,” she says.
Specification
During trials, growers commented on the ease of opening Granupac using a ring pull, with no need for pliers to cut cable ties. They could also see the flow of the product through the container as it was emptying, which was also a positive for them, says Ms Linsdell.
Each Granupac has been designed for up to six seasons of collection and refilling, to minimise packaging waste and carbon footprint for growers. Ms Linsdell says that the pack’s base will be a different colour each year, enabling packs to be rotated and replaced accordingly with the base colour relating to the shelf life of the Granupac and not the product itself.
Nemathorin is the only remaining granular nematicide available to target the potato soil pests PCN, wireworm and free-living nematodes responsible for spraing, according to Syngenta.