YUMA, Ariz.-Gowan Company, LLC announced that it has launched an improved formulation of Aza-Direct biopesticide. Aza-Direct contains the active ingredient azadiractin, which is extracted from the seed of the neem tree.
Azadiractin-based products are susceptible to degradation once formulated and packaged. The result is a time-sensitive burden for growers to use these products. Gowan Company chemists seized the opportunity and set out to develop a superior product by means of stabilizing and improving the formulation. The project started with Gowan formulation chemists identifying the root cause of degradation and replacing the infringing components with more stable components. With the new components in place, the improved formulation proved to be highly superior in all field performance trials.
Following the formulation improvement to Aza-Direct, tests were conducted on all major azadiractin-based products available in the marketplace. "We went out and purchased several of the major competing azadiractin brands, right off the shelf, to recreate the product performance a grower would experience when using any one of these products." stated Chad Dyer, Product Manager for Gowan Company. The brands tested included Ecozin Plus manufactured by AMVAC, Neemazad and Neemix manufactured by Certis, and Molt-XTM manufactured by Bioworks.
The results of the lab tests concluded every single azadirachtin brand assayed had degraded at least two times more than the new formulation of Aza-Direct, and some brands had degraded over 50 from their label claim.
"Once again, our formulation chemists came through for us and were able to create a far superior product that elevated Aza-Direct to the top of its class for azadiractin products. The new formulation of Aza-Direct, even after one year, still retains its potency and effectiveness. We're quite happy with the results and know the growers will be too."
The improved formulation of Aza-Direct is available at select Gowan Company authorized dealers and retailers.