NOVOSIL or SILK, BIOSIL: which are the national quality agricultural chemicals?

January 10, 2010

The exuberant market segment of ecologically clean farm plant host resistance enhancers and phytohormones has made it quite difficult for consumer to choose the best suiting solution.

The producers of each headline chemical indicate the combination of triterpene acids (TA) extracted from Siberian fir (abies sibirica) as reactant. All extraction methods are patented and the chemicals are approved by the State Chemical Committee.

Now we’ll try to help consumers make their choice.

There is no doubt that quality is the guiding criterion of chemical solution choice. For the chemicals mentioned quality is determined by reactant amount (combination of TA), as the unique flora-friendly TA’s favorable biological effect on farm plants has been scientifically proved.

Thus TA amount is an objective criterion of quality; that is why these figures are subjected to highly accurate calculation. However entire chemical compositions of chemicals may differ as they are combinations of the green fir wood substances extracted by different methods. This makes for a good reason to pay attention to producer’s guarantees of product quality characteristics i.e. the TA content.

NOVOSIL developers-registrants and producers – N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Organic Chemistry Institute, SB RAS Cytology and Genetics Institute (represented by Biokhimzaschita Scientific Production Association - Vedabio Ltd.) and Federal State Unitary Production enterprise (FSURE) Electrochemical Plant – collectively declare that the product’s quality is obligatorily controlled by Test analytical center (Certificate No. Ross RU. 0001.510483), accredited by the Russian State Standard Body as technically competent and independent.

At that NOVOSIL quality test results’ reliability is also ensured by the RF certified and standardized “TA content quantification system for Siberian-fir-based preparations”, which has been approbated at the Russian plant protection complex.

The results of analysis listed on analysis sheet per product batch can be checked at any regional plant protection center according to “Notification on NOVOSIL identification procedure”

For this purpose a NOVOSIL content standard sample can be presented. This is a metrologically certified sample manufactured in strict compliance with standards.

A set of standards developed has secured introduction of new quality management system into the production of NOVOSIL. The system includes control of the raw materials, procedures and finished products. Thus the NOVOSIL production costs comprise also the quality management system expenses.

In 1995 NOVOSIL was temporarily registered and since then has been full-cycle tested for many years according to the RF regulation on “Russian registration tests and registration of pesticides”.

NOVOSIL has undergone innumerous field tests applied to many crops in a number of Russia’s regions, CIS and foreign countries. The tests provided ground for a list of agrotechnical and land treatment recommendation. NOVOSIL is being successfully used in Russia.

In 2003 the State Chemical Committee, taking into account the amount and completeness of the tests conducted, has put NOVOSIL on the Official State List of pesticides and land treatment chemicals authorized in Russia for a term of 10 years.

Do SILK and BIOSIL have an adequately high-leveled production and quality control commitment? Do their producers possess and practice reliable technologies, control and standardization tools?

These two chemicals brands obtained only temporary registration by the State Chemical Committee, which means that they fail to settle all points of successful marketing.

Besides according to another marketing research on the Siberian-fir-based chemicals, conducted by Test analytical center in 2002-2003 over different Russia’s regions the SILK and BIOSIL producers do not have reliable standardized tools of TA content control. This is the true reason for the chemicals’ lower price compared to NOVOSIL.

So why run the risk of dealing with temporarily registered producers possessing no proper quality management system?

On behalf of the NOVOSIL producers: Dr. of Chemistry V.A. Raldugin, Cand.Sc.Chemistry E.B.Malykhin, , Cand.Sc.Chemistry M.M.Mitasov, Cand.Sc.Chemistry S.V. Morozov