Extra opportunities for Perseus

BRASSICA growers now have a new weapon in their armoury since the important fungicide, Perseus, was granted 16 new EAMUs.

EAMUs are special dispensations for the product to be used off-label for specific purposes and the product contains the SDHI fluxapyroxad plus difenconazole.

Trials with growers has meant that the protectant and translaminar fungicide effect from BASF's Perseus has been available in their disease control programmes. Perseus contains 75 g/litre of fluxapyroxad (Xemium) and 50 g/litre of difenconazole, formulated as a suspension concentrate.

Fluxapyroxad is a highly effective SDHI fungicide with broad spectrum activity and difenconazole is a well-known triazole fungicide with excellent selectivity in speciality crops. It has nine recommended crops on its label – broccoli/calabrese, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, potato, vining pea and outdoor and protected lettuce.

At the end of 2019, 16 new crops were added via the EAMU system. These were beans with pods, dwarf French beans, edible podded peas, runner beans, celeriac, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip, radish, red beet, swede, turnip, courgette, gherkin, pumpkin and squash.

“As growers plan their disease control programmes for the year, they should be considering inclusion of this new and very effective option,” said Robert Storer, of BASF.

Ringspot is the most common and widespread disease at the moment in brassicas. In development trials, in cabbages where the untreated suffered 18% ringspot, Perseus gave the best treatment, reducing it to just 8%.

In Brussels sprouts, untreated crop had 14.7% severity of ringspot but Perseus reduced this to 1.1% and in other trials the sprout crop had 12.5% alternaria (reduced to 0.9%). In cabbages with 22% alternaria, it reduced disease to less than 1%.

For powdery mildew in carrots, untreated crop had 15% severity of attack, with Perseus reducing this to 4%, while for alternaria control untreated crop had 24% severity, reduced to 5% by using the new recommendation.

It has activity on powdery mildew, alternaria (light and dark leaf spot), mycosphaerella (ringspot) and sclerotinia – most of the key diseases in vegetables.

The combination of the two actives leads is said to give it inbuilt resistance management

Three applications can be made to brassicas, one to outdoor lettuce, one to vining peas, four to potatoes and two to carrots and protected lettuce. It has a harvest interval of three days for potatoes, seven days for carrots and 14 days for vining peas and lettuce.

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