Reduce the risk of lodging with MODDUS Evo
Cereals
barley-1132-x-637

MODDUS® Evo is a plant growth regulator applied to Wheat, Barley, and Oats to reduce the risk of lodging and help improve harvestability of the crop. MODDUS® Evo can also be applied to Ryegrass seed crops to control lodging and to promote increased seed yield.

Introduced to the market in 2016 with an upgraded, fully loaded adjuvant formulation, it was developed to improve uptake of the active ingredient Trinexapac-ethyl into the plant, along with improving rainfastness and superior mixing in cold water.

MODDUS® Evo is absorbed by the leaves and stems of cereals and ryegrass and is rapidly translocated to the growing parts where elongation of the stem internodes is inhibited.  As a result shorter, thicker and stronger stems are produced by the plant, making them less prone to lodging.

ModdusEvo-straw-thickness-1132-x-753
MODDUS® Evo treated stems (left) are thicker than untreated

In ryegrass seed crops, MODDUS® Evo also shortens the stem height which this helps increase seed set by allowing the panicle to remain upright, thus improving the chance of wind pollination. It also delays the onset of lodging which aids in maximising crop yields.

In 2019, a label extension was approved for two new use rates in ryegrass seed crops, based on New Zealand trial work. This significant investment by Syngenta saw a single application rate of 1600 to 2400 mL per hectare added to the label for Ryegrass seed crops.

In addition to the higher use rate, the option of a split application rate was also added to the label for Ryegrass seed crops. The split application consists of two applications of 800 mL/ha applied at GS31-32 and GS33. MODDUS® Evo is currently the only Trinexapac-ethyl registered in New Zealand with the higher and split application rates on the label, allowing farmers more flexibility with Ryegrass seed crops after harvest.

Syngenta continues to steward MODDUS® Evo in cereal crops through field trials. Last season, two trials were conducted in mid-Canterbury on two different spring sown barley varieties.  The aim was to evaluate MODDUS® Evo in combination with commonly mixed fungicides, insecticides and adjuvants.

Treatments with up to 5-way tank mixtures (i.e., MODDUS® Evo with four other products) were tested and evaluated independently for physical and biological compatibility, as well as phytotoxicity. Commercially acceptable crop safety and tank mix compatibility was demonstrated in both trials.

For more information click here to read MODDUS® Evo Technote or click here to contact Syngenta NZ.