Corteva Agriscience has published a new advice video with an independent expert offering guidance to farmers planning to use the company’s new Inatreq (fenpicoxamid) fungicide next spring.     

Presented by independent consultant Tom Robinson, the video also covers daily best practice advice for washing out sprayers in the field, along with a workshop section explaining how to inspect and replace worn parts, with Cotswold farmer and sprayer operator Andrew Myatt.

See also: Corteva to issue new advice on best practice with Univoq

Last spring, some growers experienced issues with sprayer components after applying fungicides containing the active ingredient Inatreq.

There were reports of damage to nozzle seals and pump diaphragms, which left some growers with hefty repair bills for sprayers.

Agrochemical giant Corteva carried out an extensive investigation and said that no single factor had emerged as a root cause of the sprayer problems, adding that claims that Corteva’s Inatreq active was the sole cause of these failures were “not proven”. 

As an aid to growers, Corteva has published best-practice guidelines to help farmers get sprayers ready for next spring, as December and January are traditionally the months during which farms will service their machines. 

A key part of the advice is to change pump diaphragms annually, and in the video Mr Myatt demonstrates how to do this in his workshop. 

The guidelines are:

• Ideally, Inatreq should be sprayed in a minimum water volume of 200 litres/ha. If lower volumes are used, the spray concentration should not exceed 0.7%
• Inatreq spray solutions should not be left in the spray tank overnight – follow the recommendations on the label – and operators should rinse the sprayer tank, pump and lines through at the end of each day’s spraying
• Inatreq should not be used in sprayers equipped with pulse width modulation technology
• Corteva recommends replacing pump diaphragms annually, ideally with NBR or Blue flex parts, and to keep to the pump manufacturer’s service recommendations
• For anti-drip diaphragms, EPDM parts are recommended, or operators can modify air shut-off anti-drip valves to use Teflon replacements. If neither of these options are possible, Corteva recommends replacing all existing pneumatic/automated anti-drip diaphragms/pistons with new before spraying products containing Inatreq. It is also important to check these after use
• If your sprayer has a Ramsey box, you should replace the diaphragm seal during winter maintenance.