New, improved rhizoctonia seed treatment now widely available

Emesto Prime DS, the improved tuber treatment containing penflufen for control of Rhizoctonia solani and black scurf, is now widely available for use in 2019 plantings. The product was available in limited quantities last season due to it receiving regulatory approval close to the start of the 2018 season.

Described as a valuable addition to Bayer’s potato range, Emesto Prime DS gives the best control of seed-borne Rhizoctonia and was well received among growers in 2018, says Edward Hagues, Bayer campaign manager for root crops.

“On every measure, be it black scurf incidence on tubers, crop emergence, final stand, tuber size distribution or marketable yield, Emesto Prime DS delivers substantial positive effects. It has also shown useful reductions in silver scurf, while a trial performed at Fife by Scottish Agronomy in 2018 served to substantiate its claim as the best protection against black scurf,” he says.

“The trial used heavily infected seed with tubers from the untreated crop suffering a 47% incidence of black scurf. Tubers from the Emesto-treated crops were found to contain no detectable levels of black scurf compared with 2% for Monceren DS (pencycuron) and 12% for Rhino DS (flutolanil). The trial highlights the performance of Emesto and Monceren and their role in delivering crops with a quality skin finish within the parameters demanded by the market,” says Mr Hagues.

Incidence of black scurf post-harvest; 2018 trial performed by Scottish Agronomy, Fife (Source : Bayer)

Containing the SDHI active substance penflufen at 2% w/w the maximum dose rate is 1 kg/tonne of seed tubers at planting. It can be used on all varieties but must only be applied using automated powder dispenser equipment fitted on an automatic planter.

Mr Hagues says the company had been encouraging the transition to on-planter application for more than 10 years with stewardship training and demonstration of on-planter applicators.

“The use of on-planter applicators is now commonplace, and growers have a range of machines to choose from, for example Team Sprayers offers applicators for most popular brands of cup and belt planter including those from Standen, Grimme and Miedema.”