Potato growers gain revolutionary blight fungicide

Brand new chemistry to tackle foliar and stem blight in UK and Irish potato crops has been approved and will be available for the 2018 season.
Zorvec Enicade from DowDuPont is much anticipated in the industry following many years of impressive performance in domestic trials and has proven to deliver robust control across three continents where it is already available to growers.
It will push the boundaries of traditional spray programmes by delivering revolutionary 10-day persistence following application – three days more than current practice permits with other blight fungicides.
Protective and curative, with demonstrable movement into new growth, Zorvec Enicade’s greatest benefit may be gained from targeting the crop’s rapid growth stage.
Applications to stems and leaves results in unrivalled stem blight control providing the cleanest possible start to a blight programme
Craig Chisholm, UK field technical manager for DowDuPont, said: “Growers and agronomists have seen demonstrations of Zorvec Enicade’s market-leading performance over several seasons and will be excited that it is now registered for use in the UK and Ireland.
“Spray intervals of up to 10 days will be something new for growers to consider but we feel they will immediately see the benefit of added flexibility, plus the opportunity to reduce one spray pass when this 10-day strength is utilised in a spray block.
“I believe it is the most exciting product that we have had in 30 years. It’s the sort of product that you can only expect to see developed once in a career.”
Zorvec Enicade is suitable for use in both ware and seed crops across all varieties but is expected to appeal most for use in crops with an indeterminate growth habit or destined for long-term storage.
Sprayed at the start of the rapid growth phase, the molecule sticks to the wax layer of both stem and leaf offering 10-day persistence in control.
It binds quickly and moves within the plant as it extends, protecting new leaves and stems.
“By ensuring no infection is sporulating under your crop canopy – achieved with back-to-back sprays at the rapid growth stage – blight pressure over the rest of the programme will be greatly reduced and you still have one or two Zorvec sprays in reserve,” Mr Chisholm added.
Zorvec Enicade is supplied with a partner fungicide which has a different mode of action – an essential component in an anti-resistance strategy developed to protect this revolutionary chemistry long term.
“There is concern about the aggressiveness of blight and there’s no doubt the challenges we face are increasing,” Mr Chisholm added.
“We need new chemistry and Zorvec Enicade is effective against all strains – including 37_A2 – with no cross resistance.
“There is no other molecule that offers this level of protection, control of stem blight and movement in to new growth.”