Agrochemicals
BASF submits regulatory dossiers for two new herbicide active ingredients

BASF has started the global registration initiatives for two new herbicide active ingredients. The company submitted the regulatory dossier for Luximo herbicide in the European Union (EU) and in Australia, and for Tirexor herbicide in Australia as well. These steps are important milestones in expanding BASF’s global herbicide portfolio. The two compounds have demonstrated excellent performance against a broad range of difficult-to-control grasses and broadleaf weeds and are expected to help growers worldwide successfully safeguard their crops while managing the ongoing challenge of herbicide resistance.

“BASF has a long history for more than seven decades of successful herbicide research and development. Luximo and Tirexor are the latest solutions, and outstanding examples, of our commitment to develop new active ingredients to keep crops healthy and maximize yields,” said Markus Heldt, President of the BASF Crop Protection division. “The constant and close exchange with our customers has helped us to find the right, effective solutions answering growers’ challenges: support for resistance management, environmental-friendly approaches and fast-acting solutions.”

Luximo is the breakthrough herbicide at the heart of complete grass weed management programs. The active ingredient provides pre-emergence, residual control against a broad range of grasses, including difficult-to-control blackgrass and ryegrass in winter cereals. The molecule boasts a novel mode of action that controls grasses that have developed resistance. With no known cross-resistance, Luximo strengthens existing integrated weed management systems for sustainable resistance management.

Tirexor is a new protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) inhibitor herbicide offering the unique capability to control PPO-resistant weeds including tough-to-control pigweed and ragweed species. The new herbicide is fast-acting, with foliar effects that can occur in as little as one day. Tirexor’s anticipated global uses include application on a wide array of crops including small grain cereals, corn, soybean, pulse crops, oil palm, and numerous tree fruit and nut crops. In addition, it is the first new mode of action for the foliar burndown of grass weeds in 20 years, offering a new tool for control of ryegrass ahead of crop planting. As a flexible herbicide, Tirexor also provides residual and burndown control of certain grass and broadleaf weeds and will be a preeminent means for the control of wild radish, ryegrass, capeweed, and many other weeds of issue in Australian cereal crops.

Pending regulatory approval, BASF expects first market introductions of Luximo-based product formulations as early as 2020 in Australia and 2021 in the UK. Also pending regulatory approval, BASF anticipates Tirexor-based product formulations to be introduced in Australia from 2020 onwards. Further regulatory submissions of the registration dossier for both herbicides are planned in key markets globally.