Rust control option in ryegrass seed crops excels

The ELATUS^® Plus fungicide label was extended in 2021 to include stem and crown rust control in Ryegrass seed crops, following the initial registration for wheat. 

This registration offers arable farmers a powerful option for stem and crown rust control that are key yield-limiting diseases in ryegrass seed crops, with the added benefit of a short (14 day) withholding period.

The feedback on performance in the field has been extremely positive according to Paul Hassan, Syngenta Technical Services Lead.  “Agronomists have indicated that the control of rust has been exceptional and represents a new standard in rust control in ryegrass crops.  This backs up our own trial results.”

“The short withholding period of 14 days has also proven very beneficial for farmers in terms of grazing regrowth or feeding straw to livestock.  After several years of development we are really pleased to offer this product to farmers.”

ELATUS^® Plus provides powerful rust control by binding strongly to the leaf surface to give long-lasting, rainfast protection. It also binds to the pathogen’s target site to inhibit fungal germination, shutting down a potential infection at a very early stage of disease development.

Pauls says, “The product is best applied at ear emergence and again at flowering in a preventative programme. As a solo SDHI formulation, ELATUS^® Plus provides growers with the flexibility to add the best mixing partner, such as prothioconazole or AMISTAR^®.  But it can also be applied as a solo treatment in a preventative programme in alternation with an approved non-cross resistant fungicide.”

Another key benefit of ELATUS^® Plus is its endophyte safety. “Long-term storage endophyte safety tests for ELATUS^® Plus have been conducted. The results show it has a high level of safety for endophytes in ryegrass seed, so growers can use it with confidence on sensitive novel endophyte varieties”, according to Paul.

In cultivars known to be sensitive to triazole fungicides, ELATUS^® Plus can be applied alone in a preventative programme, but it must always be mixed with a triazole fungicide in situations where a curative fungicide is needed.

ELATUS^® Plus is a Group 7 SDHI fungicide containing 100 grams/litre of benzovindiflupyr, branded as SOLATENOL^® technology in an emulsifiable concentrate formulation. It should be applied at 750 mL per hectare, and for resistance management do not apply more than 2 applications of ELATUS^® Plus (or any other SDHI) to a ryegrass seed crop per season.

For more information click here to read ELATUS^® Plus Technote or click here to contact Syngenta NZ.