Cereals 2000 launch for take-all seed treatment
Cereals 2000 launch for take-all seed treatment
By Andrew Swallow
TAKE-ALL reduction, early rust and septoria prevention, and protection from all the normal seed-borne diseases.
That is the claim for Jockey (fluquinconazole + prochloraz), the new wheat seed treatment launched by Aventis at this weeks Cereals 2000 event.
Cost will be £170/t of treated seed. But growers can make a substantial margin on that, even with wheat at £60/t, seed protection marketing manager, Tim Holt, said at a trade preview in Germany last week. "On average farmers should double their investment from the use of Jockey."
Second and subsequent wheats are where growers are most likely to see the benefits of the dressing, with 7% market share expected this autumn.
Treatment of such crops, on take-all prone sites, has produced an average 0.7t/ha yield increase. Early sowings, starting on Sept 11, showed a 1t/ha (0.4t/acre) response and later sowings, ending Nov 13, 0.5t/ha (0.2t/acre) over single purpose treatments only.
First wheats, when early drilled where there is a history of take-all, or those following break crops with high infestations of volunteer grass weeds, or varieties highly susceptible to Septoria tritici or yellow rust could also merit treatment, the firm maintains.
On take-all, Jockey works by delaying the primary infection of the roots, more than offsetting take-all suppression gained by delaying drilling with second wheats. That means growers should be able to drill earlier, so reducing seed rates and making further cost savings on both dressing and seed, says Aventis.
Foliar disease protection comes from the slow release of the fluquinconazole into the plant. As the plant grows, the concentration in each new leaf is slightly less, but the level of chemical is still sufficient to prevent septoria or yellow rust infection in leaf 4.
"I am not suggesting growers miss out the T1 spray, but it shows the potential to adapt programmes following Jockey treatment," says cereal fungicide development manager Eileen Bardsley.
Mildew control has also been seen with the treatment, but is less reliable as the disease is active on the leaf surface, out of reach of the triazole within. Eyespot control, too, is sporadic, says Mrs Bardsley. "I would not want to rely on it."
The product is as crop safe or safer than Sibutol (bitertanol + fuberidazole), and much safer than Baytan (fuberidazole + triadimenol) in terms of seedling emergence, claims the firm.
"There are no restrictions on drilling date, so growers can drill as late as they like, though the main benefits are from early drilling," says Mrs Bardsley. *
Jockey returns (£/ha)
Ave yield increase (t/ha) 0.7
Valued at £60/t 42
Saving on single purpose 8
Foliar fungicide savings 12
Total returns 62
Price/t treated seed 170/t
@ 180kg/ha seed rate 31
Net benefit 31
JOCKEY DETAILS
• 167g/litre fluquinconazole + 34g/litre prochloraz.
• Controls take-all, septoria, yellow rust, fusarium seedling blight and bunt.
• Average +0.7t/ha in TA prone trials.
• Cost £31/ha @ 180kg/ha.
• Wheat only to date.
• Over 7% market share anticipated.
Trade comment on the new product
Kenneth Wilsons seed trader Bill Reed reckons Aventis is playing down the eyespot and other foliar effects to focus growers attention on take-all. "I think its a useful control of eyespot," he said. He believes early sown first wheats, especially disease susceptible varieties, and all second wheats will merit treatment. But at higher seed rates the cost could discourage many growers from using the treatment across the board this season, he added. Allied Grain seed executive David Waite believes the uptake of Jockey will be rather like strobilurin uptake in the first year they were available. "Growers need to convince themselves it is worth it. If they get the same results as the trials it will be used widely."