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Volume 39, Number 2 | JANUARY 21, 2013

$4.25

PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER

www.grainews.ca

Fungicides and plant health Some fungicides do more than just control disease BY GERALD PILGER

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armers are well aware of the value of fungicides in protecting crops from plant diseases. But some fungicides promise even more. Crop protection companies now promote the plant health benefits of certain fungicides. They claim that using these fungicides can result in higher yields, even in the absence of disease.

GROUP 11 FUNGICIDES The fungicides being promoted for having plant health benefits are the Group 11 Qol strobilurin fungicides. The active ingredients of this fungicide group were first derived from wood rotting mushrooms in 1992 and the first fungicides of this group launched in the U.S. in 1996. Today there are about two dozen Group 11 fungicide products sold in North America (eight with registration for use in Canada) for use in a wide range of crops. Headline, a BASF product registered for the use in Canada in cereals, peas, chickpeas, beans, lentils, flax, soybeans, sugar beets, potatoes, oilseeds, and grasses and legumes grown for seed, is the fungicide most often associated by Canadian farmers with plant health benefits. BASF has coined the term AgCelence to promote these benefits to growers. Jason Leitch, BASF fungicide brand manager, says, “Research has shown the use of AgCelence fungicides results in greener leaves, stronger stems, increased root development, reduced plant stress and better

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utilization of nitrogen. The plant is more efficient in converting nutrients into yield.” According to Leitch, farmers are getting an average of three more bushels of canola per acre because of the AgCelence benefits of a Headline application in canola. Leitch says that all BASF fungicides which have the active ingredient pyraclostrobin provide farmers with AgCelence benefits. Besides Headline, this includes Headline Duo for use in peas and lentils and Twinline in cereals. As well, BASF will be offering two new fungicide products that promise plant health benefits in 2013. Priaxor DS is a premix of the Group 11 fungicide pyraclostrobin (the active in Headline) and a brand new Group 7 active, Xemium, for use in peas, chickpeas and lentils. Leitch says: “Priaxor is

Crop protection companies are promoting the benefits of fungicides, claiming they can result in higher yields. seed treatment marketed with the claim that it provides plant health benefits. Insure Cereal is a cereal seed treatment with three actives. Group 11 pyraclostrobin is combined with a Group 3 active, triticonazole, and a Group 4 active, metalaxyl — both of which are already components of a number of popular seed treatment products. Leitch says the addition of pyraclostrobin in the Insure Cereal premix results in better emergence and increased seedling vigour. “It provides a jump start to the crop.”

“Most researchers have no doubts this group of fungicides offers plant health benefits.” — Dr. Paul Vincelli able to move around in the leaf so it provides more consistent, continuous control of disease. Growers will also see larger pods, more consistent seed size, improved harvestability and up to three bushels per acre more yield.” The other new fungicide BASF will be marketing is a seed treatment product: Insure Cereal. This is the first Group 11 seed treatment registered for use in cereals in Canada and the only strobiliurin

NOT ROCKET SCIENCE Dr. Paul Vincelli, plant pathologist at the University of Kentucky, has studied Qol fungicides and says: “Strobiliurin fungicides have a number of physiological effects on plants and most are positive. Most researchers have no doubts this group of fungicides offers plant health benefits. However, this is not rocket science and the outcome

is not guaranteed. The hardest question to answer is how often these benefits occur.” In 2011, Vincelli compared the plant health benefits of Headline with another popular fungicide in field scale, repeated, randomized trials. In fact, the trials were so big that the fungicides were flown in by aircraft. According to Vincelli, there were real, substantial differences noted in two of the three trials. In Trial 1, there was no difference in the yield of the white corn but there was a slightly better straw strength in the Headlinetreated areas. Yellow corn treated with Headline yielded 20 bushels more than the control and had better straw strength in Trial 2. There was a 27-bushel improvement in the Headline-treated yellow corn in the third trial. All of the trials were disease free so Vincelli attributes the improved straw strength and yield to the plant health benefits of the strobiliurin fungicide. Still, Vincelli is of the opinion that the likelihood of disease should be the criterion farmers use in deciding whether or not to use a fungicide rather than potential plant health benefits. “University plant pathologists will say disease risk is the best indicator of economic benefit from fungicides.”

In This Issue

Vincelli also says farmers should time their application of fungicides for disease control. “The best time to put on a fungicide is the early reproductive stage. I can’t convince myself to go earlier. We see no measureable long-term disease control from earlier applications.” Finally, Vincelli warns farmers of the high risk of resistance development to Group 11 fungicides. “Strobiliurin fungicides are very susceptible to resistance development. However, in just the last few months we have identified a genetic quirk in some fungi that development of high resistance to strobiliurin fungicides is lethal in itself to those diseases. However, fungi can certainly develop moderate levels of resistance to strobiliurin fungicides.”

SYNGENTA’S GROUP 11 FUNGICIDES BASF is not the only pesticide manufacturer marketing Group 11 strobiliurin fungicides. However, most of the other companies in the market have made a decision to promote their products only on the basis of their products’ performance in combating disease. Part of the reason for this is Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) stringent documentation » CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Wheat & Chaff ..................

2

Features ............................

5

Crop Advisor’s Casebook

14

Columns ........................... 16 Machinery & Shop ............ 25 FarmLife ............................ 31

7200R John Deere

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Alberta puts ER trailers on the road

LISA GUENTHER PAGE 35

Cattleman’s Corner .......... 35


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