Three spring hits with oomph
Three spring hits with oomph
Daffodils, lambs – and a cornucopia of exciting new sprays greet the arrival of spring. The Crops team checks out the newcomers.
A new twist on strob technology
APPROVED just in time for the spring T1 market, new strob trifloxystrobin has certainly set the industry buzzing. And its put a new term – mesostemic power – on the map.
On wheat, trifloxystrobin has better eradicant activity than Amistar (azoxystrobin) – particularly on septoria and mildew – combined with the some of the yield boosting effect of Landmark (kresoxim-methyl with epoxiconazole). An attractive package, according to Bill Clark of ADAS – but this strob will still need a triazole partner, he says.
His advice is to look to the better triazoles to boost activity against rusts, septoria nodorum and fusarium, where needed. His list of potential partners includes Opus (epoxiconazole), Alto (cyproconazole), Flamenco (fluquinconazole), Caramba (metconazole) or Folicur (tebuconazole). Rate should be tailored to situation; a mix of two half-rates might be likely at T1, followed by a T2 adjusted to suit diseases present.
Flexibility
Mr Clarks verdict on the "mesostemic" activity, which creates a vapour around the crop which protects emerging leaves, is that the product "behaves as a systemic, even if strictly speaking, it isnt. That means you see disease control on leaves which are just emerging – so you have greater flexibility on timing."
On barley, Huw Phillips of Scottish Agronomy cant wait to use the new strob. Hes keen to exploit trifloxystrobins activity against barley diseases rhynchosporium, net blotch, brown rust and new problem, ramularia. And with many six-row varieties in the north, that strob boost to specific weights is welcome.
His winter barley trials show best results from a 1.1 litre trifloxystrobin plus 0.4 litre Unix (cyprodinil) mix applied at T1 (GS31-32) and T2 (GS37-39), where rhyncho is a threat. On spring barley, you may need to change dance partners: trifloxystrobin with cyproconazole at 0.25 litres/ha outdid all other treatments on Chariot. Over six spring varieties, a programme of T1 Unix at 0.5kg followed by a T2 of 0.8 litres trifloxystrobin with 0.25 litres epoxiconazole leads the pack.
Septoria susceptible Riband still dominates the Scottish wheat area; Mr Phillips trials put a trifloxystrobin/Opus mix (1 litre plus 0.5 litres respectively) as T1 and T2 ahead of all other strob combinations.
Price of the new strob is yet to be announced. Formulation is to be EC with 125g ai/litre, sold in a 5-litre pack. A trifloxystrobin/cyproconazole mix is expected for spring next year.
• Although Novartis had verbal confirmation of approval as Crops went to press, that all-important PSD certificate had not yet arrived. This means we are unable to publish the trade name for trifloxystrobin. However, for anagram enthusiasts, WITTS is a clue – think of a dance craze pioneered by Chubby Checker….
The triazole trail
ITS an ABT product. That is, "Another Blasted Triazole". But although Caramba, which is metconazole from Cyanamid, has come late to the party, its not going to be a wallflower. "Whatever strobilurin is used, Caramba is an ideal partner for eradicant/curative disease control on a broad spectrum of important diseases," says UAPs technical director Chris Bean.
The name Caramba translates as "let us go forward" – an unfortunate tag given that the active ingredient has been under evaluation since 1985, and has survived many mergers and acquisitions of the various companies which have owned the molecule.
As Cyanamids first cereal fungicide in the UK, it is available to growers this spring. According to Ewald Sieverding, an independent consultant who has been involved with its development, it boasts powerful curative action – challenging the best of the triazoles on the market. "Its strengths are the control of septorias and rusts in wheat, and powdery mildew, rust, net blotch and rhynchosporium in barley."
The active ingredient itself has been found to move very slowly through the plant, relative to other triazoles. This gives the advantage of long persistency, says Mr Sieverding. It doesnt shift to the leaf tips, a problem with some other fast-moving triazoles that can cause mild scorching.
Control of eyespot and sharp eyespot is a weakness of the new product. Trials show it is useful as an ear wash. "The control of septoria and fusarium ear diseases in cereals is an additional bonus. This may play a more important role in the future as food safety regulations tighten up," says Mr Sieverding.
The action on ear fusarium is an advantage that has been noted by Morley Research Centres Doug Stevens. "It is similar to Folicur – tebuconazole – in this respect, but with better action on rhynchosporium. Overall, as a triazole it comes second only to Opus – epoxiconazole – on both wheat and barley."
As leading triazoles, Opus and Folicur dominated the market as strob partners last year. Why should growers switch to Caramba? "With the emphasis on early drilling, the T1 spray timing is arriving up to two weeks earlier," explains Mr Bean.
Persistence
"The gap between T1 and T2 can be five weeks or more, even when the T2 is going on earlier at flag tip emergence rather than full flag. So you need a fungicide mix that has persistence. Our trials have shown that new strob trifloxystrobin and Caramba could prove to be a particularly good mix at bridging this gap," explains Mr Bean.
But it doesnt come cheap. The full dose of Caramba is 1.5 litres/ha, half a litre more than most of its competitors. When used at this rate the price is about £27/ha. Cyanamids Eric Gussin points out that when mixed with strobs, most growers will use it at 1.0 litres/ha, which would put it on par with a three-quarter rate of Opus or Folicur on price and effectiveness.
Ball enters play
POPULAR insecticide Hallmark (lambda-cyhalothrin) has a make-over. It is relaunched in a new formulation, tagged Zeon, which will make the product safer for sprayer operators, more environmentally friendly, and more reliable, according to manufacturer Zeneca. But even better news for growers is that the price remains unchanged.
The Zeon formulation is a patented technology which involves encapsulating the active ingredient in microscopic polymer balls. And in case this raises alarm bells about clogged nozzles, the company points out that the size of the balls is minute – 30 could fit inside the diameter of a human hair – so theres no risk.
The balls are suspended in a water-based solution, which makes the product easier to handle, and less smelly than the original Hallmark.
The microcapsule contains a sunscreen which makes the formulation stable in sunlight, improving reliability.
Once the product hits the target, most of the balls rupture and release the active, but some remain intact. The active diffuses out of the capsule wall, repelling insects and prolonging control for up to a week after application, depending on conditions.
Hallmark Zeon is backed by the British Bee Keepers Association; the only pyrethroid to be given this accolade. The BBKA state that it is "the best environmental option where feeding bees may be at risk." Bees are repelled from the crop for some days after application, and so are not exposed to the active.
Operator safety is improved because the capsules will not rupture until they dry out, so any spillages can be washed off without the active coming into contact with skin.
Beware: the concentration of the new formulation is twice that of the original version; ai is at 100 instead of 50g/litre, so application rate is effectively halved. Zeneca recommends adding Hallmark Zeon last to a tank mix, to preserve the integrity of the microcapsules. Buffer zone is required – Hallmark Zeon is categorised as A for LERAP.