Protectorhml™

Photo of a Protector hml container
  1. General information
  2. New Zealand Registration and safety information
  3. Research and trials
  4. Other technical publications/papers to assist

General information

Food grade ingredients

Protectorhml is a potassium based liquid soap containing specific complexes. All ingredients involved in the manufacture of Protectorhml are food or food grade. Protectorhml has a long history of excellent plant safety. Unlike other potassium soaps it has no insecticidal ability but it has profound fungicidal, fungistatic and adjuvant properties.

Completely saponified

Protectorhml is completely saponified and does not contain free vegetable oils. Four major issues have been eliminated because of this: an off flavour in juices close to harvest, the inherent risk of any oil (mineral, vegetable or fish) when combined with sulphur causing phytotoxicity, the effects of any oil on plant growth and free oil falling out of solution in sprayers because no emulsifier is present.

Registration and uses

Protectorhml is registered by the Ministry for Primary Industries, Agricultural Chemicals Veterinary Medicines Group (ACVM). Its registered number is P7149. Its mode of action is contact.

Adjuvant Use

There is extensive research on its use as a fungicide; however it is mainly used in the grape industry as an adjuvant with sulphur for the control of powdery mildew. It works by spreading sulphur over an area five times larger than what it would normally achieve in solution (slides 6 and 7 of the power point presentation in the link below) and gathering spores together (slide 8) compared with another potassium soap with free vegetable oil (slide 9).

It is BioGro certified at 0.5% rate.

Botrytis

Protectorhml at 2% concentration has been registered for botrytis control since 2003.

Powdery Mildew

Protectorhml received registration for Powdery Mildew control in April 2019 at 1% concentration in combination with 22 g elemental copper (sourced from a cuprous oxide fungicide). If using Nordox WG75, this would mean 30g/100L for a 1% rate of Protectorhml.

Results from 2015-16 and 2017-18 Powdery Mildew Trials

Downy Mildew

Protectorhml also received registration for Downy Mildew control in April 2019 at 1% and 2% concentration (depending on disease challenge) in combination with 22 g elemental copper(sourced from a cuprous oxide fungicide) per litre of Protectorhml. If using Nordox WG75, this would mean 30g/100L for a 1% rate of Protectorhml and 60g/100L for a 2% rate of Protectorhml.

Results from 2014-15 and 2015-16 Downy Mildew Trials

Spray Programme

Click here for the recommended spray programme incorporating Protectorhml alongside HML32.

Historically, there were many independent trials in grapes comparing the performance of a program of Protectorhml and sulphur to a conventional chemical program including DMIs and more modern compounds and it has been found to produce robust equivalent efficacy against powdery mildew. Refer to Organic Focus Vineyard final report.

More recently with the advent of chasmothecia (the sexual stage of grape powdery mildew) the challenge of powdery mildew has increased and Protectorhml has become the base of a more advanced product, HML32, which together with various additives protects as well as eradicates powdery mildew infection.

It is registered in California as an adjuvant under the name of Saponel. There it has OMRI status for use in organics, as it has here with BioGro - Licence Number 5097.

It is also registered in Australia as an adjuvant under the name of HML Point Five and has ACO organic certification. It is not yet in the Australian market.

Please scroll down on the right hand side of this document for more information.

View a list of distributors.

New Zealand Registration and safety information

Research and trials

Other technical publications/papers to assist