Prothioconazole options pitched together in pot trial tests

The adage ‘pay your money and take your choice’ is apt when it comes to branded products versus genetics. For farmers, trying to work out what is best is tricky, cost savings having to be pitched against reliability and performance.

Generic manufacturers often claim that o -patent products perform as well as original formulated brands. The chemical brands counter that, for actives to work to their optimum, they have to be supported by an appropriate formulation – something very di cult to achieve.

Convinced about the quality of its prothioconazole formulations, Bayer arranged for Nottingham University to undertake some tests. According to Bayer, the ndings do suggest that the attractive price proposition of generics could be lost through inconsistent eld performance or higher rates being needed.

Bayer’s Greg Hanna says that, although generic prothioconazole performs well, it isn’t quite the ‘real deal’, and work at Nottingham University suggests he may have a point, Bayer reckons.

Septoria and yellow rust pot trials conducted in 2021 compared 16 di erent products and mixtures at various rates to deliver the same amount of prothioconazole, tebuconazole or both.

It showed consistent improvements in disease control for Proline (prothioconazole) and Folicur (tebuconazole) over generic prothioconazole and tebuconazole alternatives, and Bayer’s co-form of both (Prosaro) over mixed straights. Regardless of the rate, disease, or protective and curative situations, the branded products were more e cacious, according to the trials.

University associate professor Stephen Rossall (pictured right), who conducted the research, feels this has to be down to formulation. “We speci cally developed the trial so that the amount of active ingredient was the same for all products and mixtures. I assume with the Bayer branded products, the active is getting into the plant and pathogen more e ectively. This would particularly explain the di erence in curative performance.”

The trials were speci cally developed to look at disease control and, being under glass, no environmental bene ts could be explored. But Prof. Rossall wonders if the formulation is bene ting the movement of actives, is it helping protect them too? “This was not part of our research, but formulation technology might be improving UV protection or accelerate rainfastness,” he suggests.

Mr Hanna says the gap in both protective and curative septoria performance is a strong argument for relying on branded products. “At the 2⁄3 rate, more akin to what occurs in the eld, there is a 20-point advantage in septoria control from Proline [compared to a generic product]. That gap was retained when applied curatively – applications made ve days after inoculation. Yellow rust trials also highlight di erences in protective and curative performance. The performance gap is smaller, but di erences remain, he notes.

Similar results were seen with Prosaro – a formulation of both prothioconazole and tebuconazole – versus a mix of generic prothioconazole and tebuconazole. situations, the branded products were more the Bayer branded products, the active

performance generic rates might need to be higher, possibly o setting any its Monheim R&D centre, exposing fungicides to challenging storage and

Higher rates required?

He adds that to achieve the same level of performance generic rates might need to be higher, possibly o setting any potential price advantage. The second argument for Bayer formulated fungicides is that he believes there is a link between formulation and eld reliability. Mr Hanna points to Bayer work at its Monheim R&D centre, exposing fungicides to challenging storage and transport conditions. Some generic fungicides were found to separate when subjected to high temperatures. “Fungicides are often transported long distances and stored for long periods; again the formulation needs to protect against temperature uctuations and movement.

“Some of the rst generic tebuconazole formulations proved very unreliable, resulting in sprayer blockages through crystallisation. These appear to be recti ed but it was no fun for those with a blocked sprayer at the time. We’ve also seen growers switch back to the original glyphosate formulation due to performance issues,” he notes.

Recipe just as important

In Mr Hanna’s view, the recipe is as important as the active or actives. “It’s the actives that do the work, but you need to get them there – and that is where formulation comes in. Whether it be Proline, Prosaro or Ascra (prothioconazole + bixafen + uopyram), there is a very carefully selected blend of wetters, stickers and emulsi ers to ensure the perfect leaf adhesion and penetration of plant tissues. That blend is carefully guarded by us and, whilst the ingredients can be copied, the recipe is very di cult to reliably replicate.”

Mr Hanna points out that as formulation advances occur, these are integrated into the Bayer product range. “Our Proline and Xpro formulations include a specialist amide fatty acid that plasticises the cuticle and a castor oil emulsi er to optimise droplet size and spread.”

Mr Hanna says, ultimately, growers have to weigh up the ‘risk and reward’ for themselves. “Of course, generics come with a cost bene t, but that usually comes with a greater degree of risk. That could be slightly reduced disease e cacy or reliability in the eld.

“Also, you might lose some of those added value extras. An azole + SDHI mix should o er good disease control but it might not have the rainfastness of a product like Ascra. Work at SSAU has highlighted how quickly Ascra droplets adhere and spread across the leaf surface.

“I am not aware of any Proline or Xpro fungicide product failures for more than 12 years. That is what you’re paying for – optimum performance, but also reliability and consistency over a range of conditions,” he concludes. FG

Arable Crop benchmarking signposts the way to sugar beet yield improvements

Over the last ve years, the Beet Yield Challenge (BYC) – a cross-industry initiative led by the BBRO – has been following the performance of around 150 crops in forensic detail.

Taking some key measurements of crop performance, such a plant population, canopy development and health, the actual yields achieved by growers were compared to potential yields estimated by a crop growth model. This model used drilling date, soil type, local weather date and harvest date to model canopy growth, root dry matter and sugar content for each eld. This allows benchmarking not just against other crop yields but, more importantly, against the potential of each eld – helping to identify where yield was lost and what key agronomic improvement should be targeted.

Dr Georgina Barratt was busy in the eld throughout the summer, taking crop measurements and processing the data, she said: “Comparing data from a number of farms, with varying soils and practices provides BBRO with a fantastic insight into crop development which helps to shape our research.”

The table below shows the range of values across the ve years. The average actual and potential yield highlights the impact of season, with better growing conditions experienced in 2017 and 2018 compared to a severe later summer drought in 2019, and the impact of drought, virus, and foliar disease in 2020. Interestingly, whilst crops grew good canopies in 2021, one of the dullish Augusts on record reduced sugar content at earlier harvest dates. Crops left for later harvesting and some warm wet weather allowed many crops to recover. In some cases, this was even better than the growth model predicted.

Across the ve years, there was a 10–25% yield gap between actual and potential yields, making it possible to identify three key factors as the most signi cant areas for yield improvement. Remembering that seasonal weather patterns determine the relative importance in any one year, across the ve years these are ranked in order of priority as follows: 1. The loss of yield potential in the autumn was consistently a key factor, creating a yield gap of circa 10–20%.

Key areas of agronomic improvement to address this is a more strategic selection for soil type for autumn yield suitability, variety choice and a greater focus on foliar disease management fungicide protection. A case of ‘planning to harvest a crop late, not just harvesting a crop late!’ As the climatologists predict warmer and wetter autumn weather, this is one area growers should really look to exploit in the future. 2. Plant population, a consistent factor for lost yield potential (10–15%) across the ve years.

A greater focus on seed bed cultivation and drilling accuracy. Less emphasis on drilling by date but drilling when conditions are right. A run of dry springs during the ve years indicates we must question approaches such as multiple cultivation passes that can result in dry seed beds and formation of clods. It is vital to look at the range of plant populations across elds as uniformity has been shown to be key. This results in some interesting ideas about precision approaches such as strip tillage, variable rate drilling or simply identifying the more challenging areas of elds and managing them appropriately. Growers who were prepared to be more exible in their strategy tended to have better plant populations. 3. Resilience to drought. Across the ve years, a possible 10% of yield potential was lost to drought, but this gure was much higher in the drought years. Incidence of summer drought was a key feature of the BYC ve years.

Use of manures, cover crops, and the retention and incorporation of straw were all associated with better yields following drought conditions. The impact of these was clearly related to farms which had been deploying these strategies for longer.

Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021* Range yield t/ha (remember that these are average of early-late harvests) 71–128 54–122 61–106 48–102 81–106 Average actual yield achieved t/ha 96 90 90 74 91 Averaged potential t/ha 131 119

Range of actuals as % of potential yield 56–96 52–91 108 55–100 98 45–95 104 77–100

*Some 2021 crops remained to be harvested at time of writing, so it is an incomplete data set. Average of potential achieved 73 75 83 75 89

Dr Georgina Barratt collecting data for the Beet Yield Challenge.

A nal observation

Overall, diligence was clearly demonstrated as an overriding common denominator. Over the ve years, those growers consistently achieving a higher proportion of their potential yield than others demonstrated ‘attention to detail’ in managing their crops. Managing each eld to extract the best performance through a tailored approach to soil management, cultivation, drilling, and variety selection was important. A similar approach to matching late season crop management eld by eld to variety and foliar disease control achieved better results.

Attention to detail will clearly have a management time cost, but the BYC has shown this investment in time clearly pays dividends. FG

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Don’t forget the spray tank management basics

When it comes to the spring spraying programme, growers are being reminded not to be complacent when it comes to tank mixing and sprayer hygiene, ahead of making applications.

FMC commercial technical manager, Adam Espir, explains that tank mixing pesticides helps save time and compaction by cutting down the required passes over a crop. But rushing to do this can potentially cause more problems than it solves.

“When looking to tank mix, it’s essential that you don’t forget the basics. As with any pesticide, be sure to follow the product label, paying close attention to the compatibility guidance and mixing order,” he says.

To prevent blockages and other problems in the sprayer, Mr Espir stresses the importance of not rushing to put all products into the induction hopper at once.

“Don’t forget to ll the sprayer with half the required water volume and start agitation. You’ll then need to ensure each pesticide added is fully dispersed before introducing another product. Be patient, you don’t want concentrates to come into contact with each other,” he says.

“Once you’re con dent that each product has been fully dispersed, ll the tank to the required volume and maintain constant agitation. This process is particularly important if using granular products and EC liquids, which can be prone to blocking lters if not fully dispersed.”

Mr Espir reminds farmers that using higher water volumes can also help prevent issues, especially for complex mixes. He recommends using a minimum of 200-litres/ha of water if possible. FG

Top tips for sprayer hygiene

On top of correct tank mixing protocols, Mr Espir highlights that appropriately cleaning out a sprayer after use will help to maintain e cacy and avoid cross contamination. He outlines his top tips to remember for good sprayer hygiene: • Always wash out the sprayer thoroughly, especially between di erent crop types, such as moving from cereals to broadleaf crops • Dry residues are harder to remove from a sprayer, so wash out on the same day as spraying • If you have an in-tank rising system, make use of it, but remember it is not a substitute for a thorough clean out • Use a speci c spray tank cleaner, such as All Clear Extra, for a thorough clean • Always use high quality pesticides, speci cally formulated for easy mixing and washout. For more information on tank mixing and hygiene, visit www.fmc-agro.co.uk As the UK’s No.1 fungicide*, Ascra delivers the broadest spectrum of disease control and proven plant health benefits in a simple one-can solution. With excellent activity against all key wheat and barley diseases and a flexible dose rate to suit your crop, you can be sure that whatever the disease, drilling date, variety or weather, you only have to Ascra.

Learn more at cropscience.bayer.co.uk/ascra

*Source: 2021 Kynetec – Based on Wheat Panel Data for harvest year 2021 using GBP on-farm value. AscraXpro contains prothioconazole, bixafen and fluopyram. Ascra is a registered Trade Mark of Bayer. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Pay attention to the risk indications and follow the safety precautions on the label. For further information, including contact details, visit www.cropscience.bayer.co.uk or call 0808 1969522. © Bayer CropScience Limited 2022

Funginar #1: Barley-dedicated technical webinar highlights

In the rst in a series of BASF 'Funginars', Teagasc senior research o cer Dr Stephen Kildea, and BASF business development manager for Ireland, David Leahy, gave growers the opportunity to learn from their Irish barley-growing experience.

Dr Kildea explained: “Barley is sink limited, and so yield is dictated by the number of tillers and ears that the crop maintains. Our disease control strategy has to try to protect the barley both early in the season to protect yield creation, and then later in the season to protect yield potential.

“Disease control has to start with preventing or suppressing disease and varietal choice is key, however, although varietal resistance is increasing, some weaknesses still exist – with no varietal resistance for ramularia.

“Basic agronomy decisions can alleviate disease pressures, for example the position of the crop in the rotation can in uence the carryover of rhynchosporium and net blotch as can the sowing date.”

When devising a fungicide programme, the chemistry has to be matched to the disease and the risk – which will di er with the season and the inherent risks.

Mr Leahy said: “In barley, the big foliar diseases are ramularia, rhynchosporium and net blotch. Ramularia needs to be in your mind from day one. By controlling primary diseases such as rhyncho and net blotch, there is a positive e ect on secondary diseases such as ramularia. Having a robust approach to disease control on barley from start to nish will help mitigate the threat posed by ramularia. This is largely linked to reducing stress on the crop, which is central to delaying ramularia onset. Growers can’t do much about crop stress caused by the weather, but they can ensure crops establish well and keep them clean and wellnourished, reducing the risk of stress later in the season.”

Tevos is a new, unique nonprothioconazole-based solution for barley crops which is ideal for use at T1; a combination of strobilurin F500 and SDHI Xemium. It can be used either as a solo or in combination with prothioconazole if desired, especially where disease pressure is high.

“Not getting on top of disease at T1 risks compromising yield, and also puts a strain on the later chemistry. The combination of Xemium and F500 at T1 sets the crop up to perform. Xemium is the strongest solution for rhynchosporium, building yield and reducing brackling and F500 is not only the most e ective active ingredient against net blotch, including the F129L mutation, which is very common in the UK, but also delivers proven physiological bene ts which signi cantly reduce plant stresses.

“With the main source of net blotch infection being stubble and volunteer plants, the gravitation to direct drilling and min till really adds to the risk of net blotch when establishing barley crops into these systems.”

Whilst the T1 spray is all about creating yield potential, ultimately the T2 timing is all about maintaining that potential.

“Revystar XE [...] is ideally suited to the T2 timing. The Revysol component is the strongest azole on ramularia, and there is a direct correlation between good ramularia control and good brackling control. Xemium is an extremely e ective SDHI on straw brackling, which can be an issue for modern hybrids and spring barley varieties.”

Funginar #1 ‘Barley disease update, what’s up?’ can be watched on replay at http://in.basf.com/okq2k6p FG As the UK’s No.1 fungicide*, Ascra delivers the broadest spectrum of disease control and proven plant health benefits in a simple one-can solution. With excellent activity against all key wheat and barley diseases and a flexible dose rate to suit your crop, you can be sure that whatever the disease, drilling date, variety or weather, you only have to Ascra.

Learn more at cropscience.bayer.co.uk/ascra

*Source: 2021 Kynetec – Based on Wheat Panel Data for harvest year 2021 using GBP on-farm value. AscraXpro contains prothioconazole, bixafen and fluopyram. Ascra is a registered Trade Mark of Bayer. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Pay attention to the risk indications and follow the safety precautions on the label. For further information, including contact details, visit www.cropscience.bayer.co.uk or call 0808 1969522. © Bayer CropScience Limited 2022