Published on 23/11/2021
Syngenta marketing manager John Yates says the news has been warmly welcomed by growers who have been asking for such a claim virtually since day one.
Previously, Elatus Plus was approved for disease control in wheat with particular strength against rust, while also controlling glume blotch and speckled leaf blotch (Septoria tritici).
The fungicide was adopted very rapidly by the market when it was first introduced, because it offered significantly longer-lasting disease control at the all-important T2 (flag leaf) stage, extending green leaf retention for higher yields.
"As soon as we launched the product in wheat, we were being asked when it would be approved for use on ryegrass seed crops, because it’s such a good compound against rust which is the main yield limiting disease of this crop."
"It’s taken us four years to get the ryegrass approval, which is about par for the course for a label extension, with multiple trials needed to prove efficacy and crop safety, setting an MRL and withholding period, and most importantly for ryegrass seed crops, testing its safety on sensitive novel endophytes.”
The result is worth the wait, he says. “Elatus Plus ticks all the boxes for ryegrass seed crops, with outstanding efficacy against both crown rust and stem rust, a short 14 day withholding period, and excellent safety to sensitive novel endophytes."
Growers and agronomists like the flexibility of Elatus Plus, because being a solo SDHI formulation, they can mix and match the best mixing partner depending on the situation, he explains.
The addition of a DMI is always required in curative situations, but it can be applied alone in preventative situations, which is useful in cultivars with endophytes known to be sensitive to DMI fungicides.
The use rate on ryegrass is the same as wheat (750 mL/ha) with a maximum of two applications of Elatus Plus (or any SDHI fungicide) allowed per season for resistance management.
The new claim is further validation of a fungicide that looked promising since early in its development, Yates says. "Elatus Plus is one of those products that stood out in trials as being significantly better than anything else, and it’s still the leading SDHI fungicide for wheat."
"We’re very pleased it’s now approved for a new use. Preparing a data package for a new claim takes time and effort. However, ryegrass seed production is estimated at 42,500 tonnes a year and is a significant crop for all NZ farmers, not least because thousands of them renew their pastures every year using seed grown here for that purpose. It’s also a valuable export crop."
Elatus Plus is packed in 10 litre plastic drums which can be recycled though Agrecovery.
For more information phone Syngenta 0800 333 336 or visit www.syngenta.co.