Green light for new cereal fungicide

An eagerly awaited fungicide that promises big yield gains in wheat and barley has received authorisation for UK farms.

Miravis Plus contains the SDHI pydiflumetofen – also known as Adepidyn technology. It is approved for use on a range of broadacre arable crops – including winter wheat, spring wheat and spring barley.

“Since announcing Adepidyn technology in the UK in 2021, we have had an opportunity to conduct two full years of additional trials, says Lizzie Carr-Archer, cereal fungicide manager for manufacturer Syngenta.

Added confidence

“This extensive testing and track record should give added confidence to British growers and advisors looking to use Miravis Plus in the 2024 fungicide season,” she says.

As part of the AHDB fungicide performance project, Miravis Plus has been tested in winter wheat and winter barley trials for several years – including in high-risk locations, highly susceptible varieties and with single spray timings.

The trials showed Miravis Plus to be effective against septoria tritici in wheat, and net blotch and ramularia in barley. It also helps combat rhynchosporium in barley, with significant reductions in fusarium head blight in wheat and in DON mycotoxins.

Single-spray average yield responses in AHDB septoria trials over the last three years suggest Miravis Plus increased yield by 0.4 t/ha compared to Peqtiga (fenpicoxamid), the next most effective solo active, when compared at a full-label dose.

NIAB’s Stuart Knight said: “Against brown rust, Miravis Plus has demonstrated useful activity when applied on its own, and it will add to the efficacy of products it is partnered with. However, it is not as active as other SDHIs.”

Stronger control

In the AHDB barley trials, Miravis Plus showed much stronger control of ramularia over three seasons than the previously leading product Myresa (mefentrifluconazole), which was itself more effective than prothioconazole.

This is particularly good news for growers, who have grappled with ramularia control recently because of fungicide-resistance issues, says Fiona Burnett, professor of applied plant pathology at the SRUC.

Against rhynchosporium, Miravis Plus is highly active in both protectant and eradicant situations.

It has consistently performed as well as or better than existing standards, such as prothioconazole, Imtrex (fluxapyroxad), Ascra Xpro (bixafen + fluopyram + prothioconazole) and Myresa (mefentrifluconazole).

On average, Miravis Plus increased barley yields in the rhynchosporium trials by 0.3 t/ha over the last three years compared to Imtrex (fluxapyroxad), the next most effective solo active, when compared at a half-label dose, says Syngenta.