ELATUS™ ERA: Stay one step ahead of the unknown with persistent T2 disease protection

Following a challenging spring with continued dry and cool conditions and disease inoculum being reported across the country, arable farmers need to stay one step ahead with a persistent fungicide strategy.

It’s paramount that disease protection is prioritised with a broad-spectrum, powerful SDHI fungicide at T2, as without a crystal ball who knows what will happen later in the season, explains Jason Tatnell, Syngenta’s technical indication expert.

“April showers didn’t materialise this year, and it ended as the 10th driest on record which considering that followed a very dry March, it’s causing concern for lots of growers. Some areas have seen rain, but it hasn’t been widespread.

“The recent cool conditions have also really favoured the development of yellow rust, and with the current race diversity, it could strike anywhere. However, the dry start to the season indicates Septoria levels at T2 will be generally below average, so most situations are predominantly preventative,” he adds.

“We can’t predict what the weather is going to do, nothing is certain. The most sensible approach is to ensure broad-spectrum and long-lasting protection of your crop at T2 in case infection events occur.

“When protecting the flag leaf at T2, another important consideration is enhancing green leaf area. When it comes to yield, every extra day crops are green is a bonus.

“By using the most powerful SDHI at T2, it’s possible to gain an extra 0.15 t/ha for every extra day you keep your crops above the crucial tipping point of 37% green leaf area.  

“With the conditions verging on drought-like in some areas, and rusts ever present, growers want confidence that their choice of fungicide will provide complete, reliable control of the main diseases facing the crop in the period following T2. The aim should be to mitigate risks and make every day count when it comes to yield production.”

From being tried and tested in 100’s of field trials over various disease pressure seasons, ELATUS™ ERA is proven to be ideally placed to tackle the scenario growers are currently faced with – a dry start to the crucial spring season, and inoculum present ready to strike when the weather breaks.