Changes in the agrochemical world are happening at a rapid pace. As Andy Doyle discusses on page 4, the products and actives in farmers’ chemical toolboxes are decreasing at an alarming rate. However, there are a number of new products available to growers for 2018 with even more anticipated to arrive on the Irish market further down the line.

There a number of new products available to growers for 2018 with even more anticipated to arrive on the Irish market further down the line.

There a number of new products available to growers for 2018 with even more anticipated to arrive on the Irish market further down the line.

BASF

BASF’s new cereal fungicide which contains a new class of triazole, Revysol, is expected to arrive on the Irish markets in the near future. The active has a favourable regulatory profile and has consistently delivered high performance in Irish trials.

Also under development is a new residual pre-emergence cereal herbicide, which provides improved grassweed control on weeds such as blackgrass, ryegrass and annual meadowgrass. It also has some activity against wild oats and a range of broadleaved weeds but this will be improved significantly by co-formulations which are also in development.

Bayer

Bayer recently launched Monolith, a new post-emergence herbicide for use on winter wheat crops. Monolith partners two actives – mesosulfuron, which is an active ingredient in Pacifica Plus and Alister Flex, and propoxycarbazone. The herbicide can be applied before third node detectable (GS33) and is effective on a range of grassweeds including blackgrass, wild oats, ryegrasses, bromes, annual meadowgrass, loose silky-bent, and common chickweed.

In the near future, Bayer will also be introducing a new fungicide with a new mode of action mixed with prothioconazole to Irish markets. This will be followed by two new SDHI fungicides further down the line.

Syngenta

Awaiting registration by Syngenta is Vibrance, a new seed dressing containing three fungicidal actives – sedaxane, fludioxonil and triticonazole. This is an interesting mix of actives because sedaxane is an SDHI active, which is said to have no activity at all on foliar diseases and so will exert no selection pressure post sowing.

Fludioxonil is the active ingredient currently in Beret so it is already on the market. And triticonazole is a triazole which can tackle deep seated diseases like smut and it is thought that it will survive the chop as an endocrine disruptor.

Together, these actives are said to control the full spectrum of seed borne diseases, plus rhizoctonia species. The dressing is said to be soft on the crop and carry background yield benefits, said to be associated with improved rooting. But it is likely to be a premium product in the market.

DowDuPont

Pending registration for autumn usage is DowDuPont’s new winter oilseed rape herbicide, GF 3447 with the proposed name Belkar. The herbicide combines two active ingredients, arylex and picloram, and controls a number of key broadleaved weeds including cranesbill, cleavers, poppy, shepherds purse and fumitory.

The herbicide offers flexibility in terms of application timing on both weed and crop stages and temperatures. A new arylex and clopyralid oilseed rape herbicide for spring use is also in development.

Available in the UK only, Trezac is a new broadleaved weed herbicide for cereals, based on the arylex active together with aminopyralid. The expectation is that the herbicide will soon be available in Irish markets. The product provides good broad spectrum weed control and is particularly effective against resistant poppies. However, label restrictions state that straw from any crop which has received an application of Trezac must be fully incorporated back into the soil and cannot leave the farm.

Approved in 2017, the Transform insecticide containing Isoclast is currently only cleared for use in crops after GS39. However, the company is hoping to gain approval for early season use from GS13 (three-leaf stage) for 2019.

Another label change of note is that Broadway Star, a grass and broadleaved weed herbicide for winter wheat, has been approved for spring wheat use.

DowDuPont’s new fungicide, which uses the Inatreq active, is still in development and remains a number of years away from the Irish market.

Omnera was registered in the latter half of last year and offers spring control of key broadleaved weeds including cleavers, common chickweed, poppy, fumitory etc. It can be used on winter and spring wheat and barley.

Combining the active ingredients metsulfuron and thifensulfuron methyl, both ALS inhibitors, and fluroxypyr (a synthetic auxin) Omnera is the first product to deliver SU chemistry in a liquid formulation in recent years.

FMC chemicals

Registered last year, Centium CS 360 enters its first year of use on Irish farms. Containing the 360g/l of clomazone, the pre-emergence herbicide is cleared for use on winter and spring oilseed rape, beans and peas. The herbicide provides control against a range of broadleaved weeds including chickweed, red-deadnettle, cleavers and shepherds purse.