Valent Excalia Fungicide Peanut growers have a new defense against white mold with Excalia fungicide from Valent U.S.A. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted federal registration of Excalia, which offers white mold control even under heavy pressure, to help growers prevent the yield loss this difficult disease can cause. According to the most recent Georgia plant disease loss estimate by the University of Georgia Extension, white mold was the most problematic disease for peanut growers, leading to an average 8% reduction in crop value. “When peanut growers are dealing with a disease like white mold, they can’t risk the yield loss that comes from not using an effective product,” says Quyntin Brandt, Valent brand manager. “Excalia shields peanut crowns through proven Peanut Rx spray programs, giving growers a flexible option to strengthen their soilborne disease control and protect yield.” Excalia features a new succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (FRAC 7) active ingredient, Indiflin (the trademark name for inpyrfluxam), which offers fast-acting, highly systemic movement into the plant tissue. This allows the product to interfere with fungal growth and reproduction for intrinsic potency against damaging pathogens. Excalia also targets Rhizoctonia limb and pod rot and Sclerotinia blight for broad spectrum peanut disease control. It also offers suppression of early and late leaf spot. “Excalia is an excellent fit in integrated pest management and Peanut Rx programs to protect the crop and improve the production efficiency of a grower’s operation,” Brandt says. UGA Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait says, “Even with a stout fungicide program, farmers cannot always fully protect a peanut crop from white mold. Management
John Deere Introduces AutoPath To help producers more accurately document and follow each row of crops in fields throughout the season, John Deere has introduced AutoPath. This new precision ag application uses data collected from the first pass in the field, either planting or strip-till, to establish precise row guidance for all subsequent field passes, no matter the machine type or equipment width. According to John Mishler, precision ag marketing manager for John Deere, traditional guidance line setup can be a challenge for some customers during the season. “When using AutoPath, guidance lines are automatically created from a map of crop row lines for each field. These 20 /
THE PEANUT GROWER • JANUARY 2021
UGA Extension weed specialist Eric Prostko tested Excalia fungicide in herbicide tankmixes and found no compatibility or injury problems. However, more data is needed to ensure crop safety from tankmixes.
may include rotation, variety selection, choice and timing of fungicides, and strategies to move fungicides into the crown of the plant.” Peanut Rx can be helpful in deciding when to initiate a peanut fungicide program. For many farmers, the date to begin including a fungicide for white mold control is approximately 60 days after planting, or with the third application of a traditional seven-spray program. UGA Extension weed specialist Eric Prostko says that although he needs to collect more replicated data, currently he has not observed any physical compatibility problems or significant increases in peanut injury from the use of Excalia fungicide with commonly used peanut herbicides. To learn more about Excalia, visit Valent.com/Excalia.
mapped row lines are used to automatically create guidance lines for the entire field for all other in-field passes, such as spraying, nutrient application or harvesting operations, later in the year,” Mishler says. “Using this solution, operators know which rows to start on and can precisely follow the auto-generated guidance
lines, regardless of the field application or machine width. This increases operator confidence in being on the right row and the efficiency of field operations throughout the growing season and harvest.” AutoPath is included in the John Deere Generation 4 Automation Bundle and available for either the 4600 CommandCenter Integrated Display or the 4640 Universal Display. It’s available for use on tractors, sprayers and combines, and can be incorporated with active and passive implement guidance systems for planters, nutrient applicators and other field equipment. For more information on AutoPath row guidance and other precision ag technologies, contact your local John Deere dealer or visit JohnDeere.com. PEANUTGROWER.COM
