New cereal fungicide set to improve disease control yields
About
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Product
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Date
26 June, 2018
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Location
WA, Three Springs
A demonstration trial of a new cereal foliar fungicide has shown improved final grain yield compared with other standard treatments.
Agronomist Anthony Smyth of Landmark Mingenew with grower Darrel Beattie discussing cereals foliar fungicide options near Three Springs, WA.
Canna grain grower, Darrel Beattie, always suspected he would run into disease problems in a paddock at a leased property near Three Springs, where Scope barley was being grown for the second consecutive year.
Upon discussions with his local Landmark agronomist and Bayer Commercial Sales Representative, Darrel agreed to trial the new Aviator Xpro fungicide over a 10-hectare area in the paddock, alongside the traditionally-used Amistar® Xtra and other fungicides. He said the products were applied at label rates with 70 L/ha of water using 06 nozzles on a Case IH AIM Command spraying system set at 3.8 bar pressure.
Darrel said the disease control provided by the different fungicides was similar, although there appeared to be more disease lower in the canopy where Amistar Xtra was applied.
“The crop and disease levels looked the same visually, but there was a difference at harvest,’’ Darrel said.
“The paddock yielded just shy of 2 t/ha and it was about 200 kg/ha better where the Aviator (Xpro) was applied. It was about an 8-10% increase in yield.’’
Aviator Xpro contains bixafen, a new member of the Group 7 (SDHI) fungicides, which offers a new mode of action for resistance management, as well as the proven performance of prothioconazole. In addition to blackleg and sclerotinia control in canola, as well as ascochyta blight in chickpeas, it has recently gained registration for use across cereals (wheat and barley) and pulses (faba beans, field peas and lentils), including aerial application.
Aviator Xpro also offers good compatibility and its patented LeafShield™ formulation system enhances its activity against diseases. Its short rain-fast period, estimated at around 30 minutes to one hour, is particularly valuable for applications prior to rainfall events.
The Beatties grow wheat, barley, canola and some lupins over 2,200 ha at their ‘Suncrest’ property near Canna plus the leased land at Three Springs, while they also run about 400 Merino ewes.
They previously ran an agricultural contracting business, ‘Undaminda Spraying’, operating three spray rigs and covering a region from the far northern wheatbelt down to Coorow. They have retained one of the sprayers, a Case IH 4430 Patriot with the AIM Command system.
Darrel said the new registration of Aviator Xpro for use in cereal crops would add important new chemistry to the “chemical toolbox’’.
He said they also encountered problems controlling powdery mildew disease and some existing fungicides did not provide good residual control, so opening up the chemical use window to assist resistance management would be beneficial.
Anthony Smyth, Landmark Mingenew, said an estimated 5-6% swing to barley plantings in programs this season could result in more “barley-on-barley’’ paddocks and require growers to consider their disease management options.
He said net type net blotch and, to a lesser degree, powdery mildew were the primary diseases in barley crops throughout the region, while powdery mildew, yellow spot and septoria nodorum were prominent in wheat.
“Powdery mildew has become quite concerning and many growers have to spray for it every year,’’ Anthony said.
“Having a different mode of action to rotate with our existing chemistry will be good. We do it (chemical rotation) well with herbicides, but not so much with fungicides.
“We haven’t got resistance with fungicides, but it may come if we keep going over and over again with the same chemicals.’’
Anthony said growers generally applied one to two fungicide sprays depending upon whether they were curative or preventative treatments.
He said having the option of Aviator Xpro as a curative spray with longer activity would be excellent.
Canna grain grower, Darrel Beattie, always suspected he would run into disease problems in a paddock at a leased property near Three Springs, where Scope barley was being grown for the second consecutive year.
Upon discussions with his local Landmark agronomist and Bayer Commercial Sales Representative, Darrel agreed to trial the new Aviator Xpro fungicide over a 10-hectare area in the paddock, alongside the traditionally-used Amistar® Xtra and other fungicides. He said the products were applied at label rates with 70 L/ha of water using 06 nozzles on a Case IH AIM Command spraying system set at 3.8 bar pressure.
Darrel said the disease control provided by the different fungicides was similar, although there appeared to be more disease lower in the canopy where Amistar Xtra was applied.
“The crop and disease levels looked the same visually, but there was a difference at harvest,’’ Darrel said.
“The paddock yielded just shy of 2 t/ha and it was about 200 kg/ha better where the Aviator (Xpro) was applied. It was about an 8-10% increase in yield.’’
Aviator Xpro contains bixafen, a new member of the Group 7 (SDHI) fungicides, which offers a new mode of action for resistance management, as well as the proven performance of prothioconazole. In addition to blackleg and sclerotinia control in canola, as well as ascochyta blight in chickpeas, it has recently gained registration for use across cereals (wheat and barley) and pulses (faba beans, field peas and lentils), including aerial application.
Aviator Xpro also offers good compatibility and its patented LeafShield™ formulation system enhances its activity against diseases. Its short rain-fast period, estimated at around 30 minutes to one hour, is particularly valuable for applications prior to rainfall events.
The Beatties grow wheat, barley, canola and some lupins over 2,200 ha at their ‘Suncrest’ property near Canna plus the leased land at Three Springs, while they also run about 400 Merino ewes.
They previously ran an agricultural contracting business, ‘Undaminda Spraying’, operating three spray rigs and covering a region from the far northern wheatbelt down to Coorow. They have retained one of the sprayers, a Case IH 4430 Patriot with the AIM Command system.
Darrel said the new registration of Aviator Xpro for use in cereal crops would add important new chemistry to the “chemical toolbox’’.
He said they also encountered problems controlling powdery mildew disease and some existing fungicides did not provide good residual control, so opening up the chemical use window to assist resistance management would be beneficial.
Anthony Smyth, Landmark Mingenew, said an estimated 5-6% swing to barley plantings in programs this season could result in more “barley-on-barley’’ paddocks and require growers to consider their disease management options.
He said net type net blotch and, to a lesser degree, powdery mildew were the primary diseases in barley crops throughout the region, while powdery mildew, yellow spot and septoria nodorum were prominent in wheat.
“Powdery mildew has become quite concerning and many growers have to spray for it every year,’’ Anthony said.
“Having a different mode of action to rotate with our existing chemistry will be good. We do it (chemical rotation) well with herbicides, but not so much with fungicides.
“We haven’t got resistance with fungicides, but it may come if we keep going over and over again with the same chemicals.’’
Anthony said growers generally applied one to two fungicide sprays depending upon whether they were curative or preventative treatments.
He said having the option of Aviator Xpro as a curative spray with longer activity would be excellent.