| New Gustafson
products perform well in spring trials |
Plano, Texas
It was a good spring for the weather and for the performance of Gustafson seed treatments at the
company’s Northern Research Farm at Redfield, Iowa.
“We had a fairly dry spring, which meant less stress for seed and seedlings,”
said Dr. Ray
Knake, northern research and development manager for Gustafson. “But we still saw
significant
stand improvements, particularly with soybeans. Stands from seed treated with Rival® and
Rival
plus Allegiance™ were significantly better than those from untreated seed.”
Rival is a broad-spectrum fungicide that has rapidly gained market share in the soybean
market,
Gustafson’s fastest growing crop segment. Allegiance, the newest member of the
Gustafson product line, contains metalaxyl and is effective against Pythium.
LS022, a new soybean product currently under development has demonstrated excellent
results
against Rhizocontia, Dr. Knake said. “LS022 is classified by EPA as reduced-risk
chemistry. It is
highly effective at very low rates of application to the seed. This is our fourth year of
field testing
with LS022 and it has been a consistent performer in securing stand, as well as providing
excellent seed and seedling protection. It’s also active against other widely found
pathogens, and when combined with Allegiance, it provides outstanding broad-spectrum
protection.”
Biological products also performed well in the1998 soybean trials. “We still have a
lot of work
to do on the biologicals, but these products are looking very promising,” Dr. Knake
said. “There is
tremendous interest from the seed industry for biological seed treatments for
soybeans.”
Results from corn seed treatment trials also proved interesting. “We have seen
tremendous lack
of uniformity in corn stands across the Midwest,” Dr. Knake said. He noted that many
factors play a role in stand uniformity, including seed quality, weather and other
factors. “But despite the variable factors, Captan products continue to deliver the
most uniform corn stands,” he said.
Gaucho® insecticide on inbred corn performed extremely well, not only in field trials,
but in
actual production fields. Gaucho was granted a crisis exemption on inbred corn in Iowa and
Illinois to protect against flea beetles, which are vectors of Stewart’s wilt, a
serious disease of corn that can cause extensive yield losses. The exemption allowed
treating with Gaucho during a 15-day period in late April and early May.
“The seed companies were extremely happy with the performance of Gaucho, and we did
not
receive a single complaint,” Dr. Knake said. He said nearly 10 percent of the inbred
corn in Illinois
and Iowa was treated with Gaucho.
Assault™, a new insecticide for corn, also showed good results. “Assault
protects against
wireworms and seed corn maggots,” Dr. Knake said. “It utilizes new chemistry,
with excellent seed safety and performance that is comparable to currently used
products.” He said the product will provide convenience to growers because it is
applied to the seed by seed companies, along with the fungicide seed treatment. For
growers who prefer hopper box products, Assault is also available in Kernel Guard®
Supreme, marketed by Trace Chemicals, Inc., a subsidiary of Gustafson.
At Gustafson’s Indiana plots, located at Otterbein, near Lafayette, Raxil® performed
well on
wheat. “We saw excellent loose smut control with Raxil, along with better overall
plant health and
vigor. We anticipate excellent yield results from these trials,” Dr. Knake said. N1344 |
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