A new carrot fungicide from Syngenta, Reflect, has proven to enhance green leaf tops, provide exceptional disease control and deliver higher yields.
Launched at the British Carrot Growers Association Carrot Open Day, held in Norfolk, Reflect combines a dual action of enhancing plant green leaf health and controlling a broad spectrum of diseases.
Syngenta Field Technical Manager, Pete Saunders highlighted that retaining stronger green leaves and upright foliage ensured prolonged photosynthetic activity that could lead to greater yield.
“Furthermore, it will help growers to extend top lifting, which is faster and cleaner, with improved packout percentage for higher root yields,” he said. “It also gives longer frost protection that can reduce costly straw down and improved root quality.”
Mr Saunders reported that Reflect delivered excellent control of Alternaria and Powdery Mildew, which ensured a clean and healthy crop. The strong healthy foliage would significantly reduce the crop’s susceptibility to Sclerotinia.
The active ingredient in Reflect, isopyrazam, has been shown to produce visibly greener leaf canopies. Utilising latest NDVI technology, greener crops can be measurably more effective in capturing sunlight, and converting energy to yield. Enhanced light capture also gives the potential to increase sugar carbohydrate levels in roots, added Mr Saunders.
“Reflect has been formulated and designed to be extremely crop safe for root crops. Unlike some other fungicides used in carrot programmes, Reflect had no negative growth regulatory effect observed in trials.”
Independent trials have shown incorporating two applications of Reflect, as the second and fourth sprays in a commercial carrot fungicide programme, retained over 50% more disease free green leaf at the end of the season, compared to using a strobilurin + triazole fungicide at the same timings.
For financial returns to growers, the two sprays of Reflect yielded an extra 9.6 t/ha and an increased crop value of around £1600/ha over using trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole in the programme.
“The exceptional proven strengths of Reflect can be utilised at any point in a proactive carrot fungicide programme,” advised Mr Saunders. “Our experience with growers in the UK is that using Reflect as the second spray in the programme will maximise disease-free green leaf through the optimum period of canopy photosynthetic activity.
“A second application of Reflect, as the fourth or fifth spray in the programme, will maintain the clean green leaf for longer – to boost yield and root quality.”
Reflect is the first solo-active of the exciting new SDHI group chemistry for carrots, providing growers and agronomists with greater flexibility to create highly effective fungicide programmes, incorporating a robust fungicide resistance strategy.
