Toronto—Vive Crop Protection has launched two products that it says can blend easily with liquid fertilizer, which it says is a first in the industry. It says its AZteroid™ fungicide and Bifender™ insecticide are worry-free, convenient, and easy-to-use products that mix uniformly with liquid fertilizers. Both utilize the patented technology of Allosperse to deliver the chemical precisely into the liquid fertilizer. It uses polymer “shuttles” to carry the active ingredient to where it needs to go – the shuttles control how the chemical interacts with soil, foliage, fertilizers, and other factors. Vive said the technology can be readily applied across multiple crops and/or active ingredients, thereby creating products that customers prefer but don’t currently have. AZteroid contains azoxystrobin and provides broad-spectrum control for a variety of seed and seedling diseases in corn, soybean, potatoes, cotton, peanuts, and several other crops. “Use of an at-plant fungicide increases seedling growth and vigor, and leads to faster, more uniform emergence,” said Vive Crop Protection Vice President of Business Development, NAFTA, Tony Zatylny. “In the past, applying fungicide and starter fertilizer simultaneously has relied on complex and expensive equipment solutions, ultimately leading to inconsistent field performance. AZteroid is the first fungicide designed for direct mixing with liquid fertilizer right in the spray tank for a worry-free, consistent, high-performing application.” Bifender contains bifenthrin and provides broad-spectrum control of many serious insect pests dwelling at or below the soil surface for corn, soybean, cotton, potatoes, and peanuts. Vive said it can also be tank-mixed with AZteroid by growers who want to simultaneously control seedling disease and soilborne insect pests.