Maximise sugar beet yields
With maximising yields and profits being the order of the day, sugar beet growers are being advised to use the strobilurin/triazole fungicide Opera in their crops this season in order to benefit from its wide disease spectrum as well as its physiological yield boost, which has been proven in independent and BASF trials.
"Maximising yields must be a priority for sugar beet growers as they aim to maintain their profitability as high as possible. The fungicide Opera has an important role to play in maximising these yields," says Jonathan Ball, BASF Sugar Beet Product Manager.
Jonathan reports that Opera gives strong protectant and systemic activity against all four major diseases in beet; powdery mildew, rust, Ramularia and Cercospora. "Broom's Barn is forecasting a medium to high risk year for powdery mildew, with 40% of the crop predicted to be infected by the end of August. Mildew can be responsible for up to 20% yield loss in susceptible varieties and with three-quarters of this year's crop having low powdery mildew resistance ratings, most of this year's crop will be vulnerable to this disease."
"But it is not just mildew that growers have to look out for. A relatively new disease threat to the UK, Cercospora has the capacity to devastate beet crops and is expected to become a major threat to UK sugar beet. In four British Sugar trials, Opera gave 57% control of this disease and in ten European BASF trials it gave 73% control, outperforming all other treatments in the trials," reports Jonathan.
Rusts and Ramularia leaf spot are also a concern. "In British Sugar trials Opera gave 99% control of rusts and in independent TAG trials on Ramularia, Opera gave 95% control, a significant improvement on the standards," says Mr. Ball.
"There is no doubt that Opera is a highly effective fungicide with excellent broad-spectrum activity, but it also leads the field when it comes to producing consistent yield increases as a result of crop physiological effects. Combining the most advanced strobilurin, pyraclostrobin with the most effective triazole, epoxiconazole, Opera has been shown to increase greening, to improve photosynthetic efficiency and to extend the active life of the sugar beet canopy. It also appears to improve root quality by increasing root sugar concentration and reducing root amino nitrogen content. Overall the crop looks much healthier."
"In British Sugar trials, Opera delivered the one of the highest yield gains, with root yields of 70 tonnes/ha, compared to 63 tonnes/ha in the untreated. Even if it looks to be more expensive than other treatments, it pays back many more times through its yield boost," says Jonathan.
"Declining sugar beet prices are forcing growers to focus on optimizing inputs and maximising yields in order to maintain profitability. With many crops staying in the ground for longer, sugar beet needs to be protected from disease and to retain its Green Leaf Area for as long as possible. Whatever you can do to maintain Green Leaf Area for longer will bring benefits of yield and returns. Opera's reliable physiological effects combined with its high activity against all major sugar beet diseases make it one of the most cost-effective choices for sugar beet," he says.
Opera contains 133 g/litre pyraclostrobin and 50 g/litre epoxiconazole, formulated as a suspo emulsion. It controls powdery mildew, rust, Ramularia and Cercospora in sugar beet. Opera is applied from mid-July to mid-August at the start of foliar disease attack. It is recommended at a dose rate of 0.75 – 1.0 litre/ha in a minimum of 200 litres of water. A maximum of two applications can be made, allowing a harvest interval of six weeks.
For further comment and information please contact Jonathan Ball, BASF on 0161 488 5785 or mobile 0771 7782768
