BASF has a new carboxamide fungicide in development for cereals, with the aim of a launch in 2012, Farmers Weekly learned this week.

The firm is also improving the formulation of its existing carboxamide fungicide, Tracker (boscalid + epoxiconazole).

The Xemium range of products, based around the active ingredient fluxapyroxad, are initially being developed in co-formulations with existing active ingredients in the BASF portfolio including epoxiconazole and pyraclostrobin, although not boscalid, says Peter Hughes, the firm’s cereals fungicide product manager.

Initial trials have left him excited by the new active’s potential. “It is very broad spectrum. Other than fusarium it gives control of everything.”

Indeed, he says it has been difficult to spot the epoxiconazole co-formulation plots such has been fluxapyroxad’s activity in trials.

But protecting the new chemistry from the risk of resistance development means the co-formulation is crucial, he stresses.

The Fungicide Resistance Action Committee has rated carboxamides as medium risk to resistance.

“Single-site products can go very quickly, as we saw with the strobilurins, but we don’t want these to disappear quickly, and neither will farmers when they see them.”

If the results from three wheat trials at NIAB are replicated in fields he has a point. On average across several different varieties in those trials a sequence of half dose at T1 and three-quarters at T2 of the new co-formulation with epoxiconazole gave an extra 0.9t/ha in yield over two full rates of Opus (epoxiconazole), he says.

Barley disease control with Xemium is also particularly strong. “It gives very good control of rhynchosporium.”

From next season BASF hopes to have Tracker available as an oil dispersion (OD) formulation, Mr Hughes says.

The new formulation will contain an extra 20% epoxiconazole to take the amount to the equivalent of a full dose of Opus, but the same amount of boscalid.

In 13 trials across Europe the new formulations has given a 0.4t/ha yield increase over the current Tracker suspension concentrate (SC) formulation. “From what I’ve seen in UK trials that’s fairly conservative – it is probably closer to 0.5t/ha.”

The improvements stem from the boscalid being dispersed as a solid within the oil, allowing it to coat the surface of the leaf and leading to better protectant activity and rainfastness, and the epoxiconazole fully dissolving in the formulation. That brings improved uptake and biological activity from the active ingredient.

The OD formulation will also apply to a three-way mix of epoxiconazole, boscalid and pyraclostrobin. “It looks a really good barley product, as well as at the T2 timing on wheat,” Mr Hughes says. “We’re consistently seeing performance as good as Fandango.”

Xemium

• New carboxamide fungicide from BASF

• Active ingredient fluxapyroxad

• Yield increases of almost 1t/ha

• Important stewardship message