A naturally occuring biological fungicide is proving to be a winner for Israeli farmers.
The post-harvest treatment, based on a naturally occuring organism, is called Shemer and was developed by Dr Samir Droby, of the Volcani Centre, in co-operation with Minrav’s Agro-Green company.
Amit Schwartz, marketing manager of Agro-Green, said that Palestinian farmers are using the Shemer material for protecting their strawberry production for export to Europe, which, this year, is estimated to reach nearly 1,800 tonnes.
“The biofungicide is based on a unique yeast that controls a wide range of pathogenic fungi. Shemer has been shown to effectively control the rots that these fungal pathogens cause in stored grapes, strawberries, sweet potatoes and citrus, as well as the ability to control the same ingredients during the ripening period in the field,” said Schwartz.
“Even the most fragile produce protected by Shemer and shipped by sea reached the shelves in Europe in perfect condition,” he added.
Israeli farmers are licensed by the statutory Plant Protection and Inspection Services (PPIS) to use Shemer to protect their crops for export.
According to Agro-Green, nearly all the sweet potatoes exported to Europe is sprayed with the natural yeast.
"Our product replaces chemical fungicides leaving no toxic residues on the fruit; it is compatible with natural enemies and it is a safe alternative to chemical, toxic fungicides used for the control of rot," said Schwartz.
He added that the importer can claim "no chemical treatment" on produce treated with Shemer; and its application in the field during the growth period extends shelf life.
The company also claimed Shemer has no negative effect on treated produce, even following an intentional contamination of cut fruit, and there are no regulatory limitations on yeast treated fresh produce in either Israel or the UK.
