Velcourt trials reveal distinct benefit of new fungicide at T2
© MAG/Emma Gillbard Independent trials carried out by farming company Velcourt have revealed a distinct benefit from including the fungicide RevyPro at the T2 timing in winter wheat.
Initial trial work in 2023 on a crop of Skyfall highlighted the formulation benefits of RevyPro.
Now partnered with Inatreq, the tank mix forms a key part of the T2 programme across much of Velcourt’s 107 farm businesses, extending across the UK from Scotland to Devon and Kent.
See also: How 14 family business partners run a 1,600ha mixed farm
Velcourt trials of the fungicide revealed that the lower rates of Revysol delivered in RevyPro performed as well as, or better than, higher rates of the same active ingredient in other mixtures.
“It is not clear whether this benefit was arising from the complimentary combination of actives, or from a formulation benefit,” commented Nick Anderson, technical director for Velcourt.
“Either way, it is performing above and beyond what we might expect.”
About Velcourt Farming
Velcourt is the UK’s largest farm management company, founded in 1967.
It specialises in managing farms on behalf of landowners, offering services in arable (57,605ha cropping for harvest 2025), livestock and farm consultancy.
It is wholly owned by existing and former management, with an annual group turnover of £43m.
The company is known for its independent, science-led approach to farm management, with trial work looking into the latest agricultural research and development.
Velcourt was one of the first UK farming companies to establish a formal farm manager training scheme, which has become a well-known route into professional farm management.
The two-year trainee programme combines hands-on farming with business and technical training.
Further investigation
Nick was keen to further investigate the advantages of the RevyPro formulation in combination with other key products, with a particular focus on septoria control.
Velcourt ran further trials in 2024 to look at this specifically.
The azole mix, which was launched this spring, must be used with a mix partner in winter wheat when targeting septoria, but can be used as a straight in barley.
In the first pair of trials (see graph Trial 1) Velcourt’s work showed the benefit of combining RevyPro with the key active ingredient Inatreq, applied as Peqtiga.
The combination of lower rates of RevyPro and Peqtiga delivered a yield benefit of 0.54t/ha over a higher loading of Inatreq applied as Univoq.
In the same trial this combination delivered 0.93t/ha more than applying 50% more RevyPro without Inatreq, and 1.02t/ha more than applying twice as much Revysol as Revystar.
“This trial really highlights the benefit of using these key active ingredients together rather than individually,” says Nick.
In a separate trial, RevyPro was tested in combination with the latest active to come to market: Miravis Plus (Adepidyn). Again, RevyPro performed well (see graph Trial 2).
On paper, the combination of Adepidyn and Inatreq, applied in this trial as Miravis Plus + Peqtiga, should be the strongest possible combination against septoria.
However, this trial showed that RevyPro as the partner to either Inatreq or Adepidyn delivered more.
Combinations of either Adepidyn and RevyPro or Inatreq and RevyPro were the highest yielding treatments in the trial.
They delivered statistically significant yield increases over any other combination of active ingredients tested.
In both cases, Revysol delivered as RevyPro, compared with higher rates of the active delivered alone as Myresa, showed a benefit from the RevyPro formulation.
They resulted in statistically significant yield uplifts of 0.5t/ha and 0.49t/ha, respectively.
Disease control updates
“The days of T2 sprays coming from just the one can are behind us,” says Nick. “We need to utilise the best combinations of the active ingredients available to get the best performance.”
In a moderate septoria year, he says Velcourt’s programme is based on a T1 of Revystar XE or Ascra with or without folpet.
“The Revystar targets brown rust and septoria, while the Ascra targets stem-based disease and is better against yellow rust. In places we will also use Adepidyn at the T2 timing as well,” he says.
“In a high-pressure disease season, we would bring forward the Revysol + fenpicoxamid programme and push back the Adepidyn later in the programme, to combat disease earlier on.” n
How RevyPro works
RevyPro contains 50g/litre Revysol and 100g/litre prothioconazole.
The fungicide is approved for use on all cereals except oats and offers growers flexibility with application timing, dose rate and mix partners.
Jared Bonner, business development manager for BASF, says the fungicide’s unique formulation gives good leaf and ear coverage, which enables rapid uptake.
“Quicker uptake means both the Revysol and prothioconazole components enter the leaf faster,” he says.
“This leads to quicker activation of prothioconazole into prothioconazole-desthio, resulting in enhanced disease activity.
This also helps to ensure better protection from wash-off and UV degradation.
“The incomplete cross-resistance brings value in terms of disease control, fungicide sustainability and farm profit.”
Adas trial work found that the fungicide increased the level of disease control and enhanced the performance of the mix partner it is used with.
This means the dose rate of actives with higher resistance risk could be lowered while keeping performance levels the same or better.
Growers can, therefore, be flexible with dose rates which deliver both resistance management and cost benefits to the grower.
“For septoria resistance management purposes, that’s why it states a partner product containing a different mode of action group to azoles is to be used alongside RevyPro,” says Jared.
Rebecca Joynt, senior plant pathologist at Adas, says: “RevyPro has good broad-spectrum activity and will certainly help disease control across programmes.
In Adas trials we compared RevyPro with its component straight actives, Myresa (97g/litre of Revysol) and Decoy (250g/litre) prothioconazole.
We found there is a formulation benefit of using RevyPro – it gave greater control of septoria, and higher yields than the equivalent tank mix.”
Barley disease control
The fungicide also provides well balanced disease control covering all major barley diseases: net blotch, rhynchosporium, rust and ramularia.
Actives
- RevyPro Mefentrifluconazole (Revysol) + prothioconazole
- Peqtiga Fenpicoxamid (Inatreq)
- Revystar Fluxapyroxad + mefentrifluconazole (Revysol)
- Univoq Fenpicoxamid (Inatreq) + prothioconazole
- Miravis Plus Pydiflumetofen (Adepidyn)
- Myresa Mefentrifluconazole (Revysol)
- Ascra Bixafen + fluopyram + prothioconazole
- Vimoy Isoflucypram (Iblon)
