Ruth Stanley country manager for Life Scientific for the UK & Ireland talks through her approach to the challenges of black-grass control this autumn.

Black-grass is a weed that inhibits the growth of wheat and is estimated to be responsible for annual losses in the UK alone of up to 800,000t, with associated economic losses of about £400m.

This summer has clearly highlighted the challenges of black-grass control as the weed has raised its ugly head with vengeance and a dark cloud of seed heads is seen above cereal crops across the country. Even farms with previously manageable levels of the weed saw a huge rise in plant numbers which in turn will generate an enormous amount of seed shed, ready to germinate this autumn should conditions allow.

According to AHDB data it only takes 13 black-grass plants/m2 for a 5% yield reduction and with input costs on the rise it’s never been more important to prioritise yield.

Black-grass plants typically have between 2 -20 heads –  and with over 500 seeds/head the problem for the following crop multiplies exponentially,  so it is essential action is taken at the beginning of the new season to minimise damage.

Early control and stacking actives is key. Choosing quality products which can be used flexibly in the programme could tip the balance of black-grass control back in the growers favour. 

Firestarter is a grass and broad-leaved weed herbicide manufactured by Life Scientific containing 400g/l flufenacet and 100g/l diflufenican in line with its reference product Liberator.

Firestarter can be used pre or post-emergence along with a sequence of alternative products containing different modes of action, Avadex or Luximo for example.

Where Firestarter is applied twice in sequence and the total dose is 0.9l/ha, the first application must be made before GS14 of the crop, leaving a minimum interval of 6 weeks between applications.

-ends-

302 words

Contacts

Siafu PR, Niamh Tye, Tel: 07704631836, Email: niamh@siafu.biz

Life Scientific, Ruth Stanley, Mobile: 07857 483193, Email: ruth.stanley@lifescientific.com

Who is Life Scientific?

• Life Scientific was established by Nicola Mitchell in 1995, and is headquartered at Belfield Office Park, adjacent to its original home on the UCD campus. The company, which has well established links with UCD and with Enterprise Ireland over many years, currently employs 80 people (including more than 30 scientists) and has an annual turnover of €60 million.
• Initially they were a product registration company providing contract services for multi-national and generic companies to gain new or support existing registrations.
• The company has a very strong scientific base and developed a particularly strong position in doing five batch analysis. They had a very good reputation in this area and even MNCs companies would get LS to undertake this work for them. A five batch analysis is required for any new active ingredient source/ supplier and all impurities have to be identified, described by some as ‘looking for a needle in a haystack’.
• In 2020 CEO Nicola Mitchell won the highly prestigious and acclaimed Irish 2020 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Life Scientific newsletter for August

As harvest gets underway we would like to wish everyone a successful and safe August.

Here at Life Scientific, we are looking forward to the start of autumn briefings, with more subjects and products than ever to update you on.

We currently have 6 new registration applications with CRD, with a mix of reverse-engineered and novel products, all of which we hope to see approved later this year. These include fungicides, herbicides and insecticides that have been requested by our customers.

We are pleased to support 24 Hours in farming (#farm24), the digital forum showing all things farming-related.

It starts at 5am on 3rd August allowing the public and consumers to see what happens in a typical day on UK farms.

Farmers and anyone involved in the industry can post to show what they are doing at any time of the day.

Sponsored by Morrisons, this is a great showcase for UK agriculture.

Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle

As usual at this time of year, we are receiving a number of questions regarding the use of LAMBDASTAR (lambda-cyhalothrin) to help with control of Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle in oilseed rape.

Allowing any oilseed rape crop to establish must rely on an integrated approach to pest management which includes cultivation, variety, sowing date and, where appropriate, the use of a pyrethroid insecticide approved for use against the pest in oilseed rape, such as LAMBDASTAR.

Sowing the crop early (early August) gives the crop a chance to establish before significant numbers of the pest appear, whilst sowing from mid-September means that the crop may establish after numbers of the pest are at their highest.

The percentage of pyrethroid-resistant pests in the population can vary depending on region. Below is a map from AHDB’s website (https://ahdb.org.uk) based on published work from Wills et al in 2020 showing results from across the UK in 2019. Higher levels of resistance mean potentially lower levels of efficacy from pyrethroid sprays and you will know best what results you have achieved with pyrethroid sprays on your farm.

To get an early indication of likely populations, it can be useful to check harvested seed for adults and it is important to monitor for adult shot-holing damage in the growing crop and volunteers.

The crop is most at risk during early emergence and, if under pressure at this stage, it may be worth applying an insecticide.

If a spray is considered appropriate, then it must be used at full recommended rate and according to treatment thresholds, as can be found in AHDB’s guidance.

LAMBDASTAR

This is an exciting time for us at Life Scientific. Our range is continuing to expand with two new reverse-engineered products hopefully available for next year.

In addition, we are now developing unique products, using the expertise of our chemists to produce optimised formulations which will allow the active ingredients to work as effectively as possible.

One of these products which should be registered in time for next year is a unique fungicide combination which is very effective against rusts and fusarium.

As part of the development process, the product has been included in a range of trials, including Yellow and Brown rust trials with ADAS at Terrington and Boxworth.

Our initial visit in the middle of May showed disease developing well, even if the fields were a little wet, and we look forward to sharing the information with you soon.

It’s T3 time again

With wet and humid conditions during the later development of the cereal crops this year, the threat from fusarium ear (or head) blight is important to consider.

It is not always easy to identify fusarium ear blight as symptoms can range from pink/orange spores on infected grains to bleached spikelets, or no obvious symptoms at all. Yield reduction can be up to 10 or 30% depending on the species present and level of infection.

Ear blight is caused by a range of fusarium and Microdochium species including F.culmorum, F graminearum, F.poae, F.langsethiae, F.avenaceum, M.nivale and M. majus. F.graminearum and F.culmorum are also important as they can produce the mycotoxins, DON (deoxynivalenol) and ZON (zearalenione). There are strict limits for these mycotoxins on grain for human consumption, with a maximum of 1250 ppb (1.25 mg/kg) for DON and 1000 ppb (100 ug/kg) for ZON. Unfortunately, there is no clear correlation between ear symptoms and levels of mycotoxin.

Reducing mycotoxin levels by controlling fusarium species is important but don’t forget that bleaching alone can reduce yield by up to 30%.

The fungi infect the crop during flowering, with warm humid or wet weather favouring development of the infection. Rotation can also play a part in risk of developing the disease with rotations containing maize being at higher risk.

Controlling ear blight with a T3 spray also gives an opportunity to top up late rust or septoria programmes.

Timing is critical for control, with application from GS59 (full ear emergence) up until the end of flowering (GS69). The active ingredients, prothioconazole and tebuconazole have good activity against ear diseases.

ADAS conducted work for Life Scientific at their Gleadthorpe site in 2020 and 2021, demonstrating that prothioconazole (AURELIA) and a prothioconazole/tebuconazole co-formulation (such as ESKER or ORASO PRO) can be very effective in reducing severity of fusarium. They also showed that the co-formulations were useful for reducing DON and ZON levels.

Application of Aurelia, Esker or Oraso Pro can also reduce the incidence of sooty moults giving cleaner brighter ears.

AURELIA    ESKER     ORASO PRO

MODIF

At Life Scientific, we are keen to support our customers in agricultural and horticultural crops and are continuing to develop crop approvals on our labels and as EAMUs.

A good example is MODIF, which is a reverse-engineered Switch containing cyprodinil and fludioxinil.

In 2022, we obtained additional approvals for Alternaria and Sclerotinia control in carrots and Sclerotinia control in celeriac. The label now contains all the following crops.

Further development

As part of its continuing development, MODIF was included in a replicated field trial conducted by RAA Labs in Lincolnshire to determine the level of control of powdery mildew when used at two dose rates in crops of vining peas.

One application was made at early flowering using dose rates of 0.25kg/ha and 0.5kg/ha. Assessments were made at 7 and 14 days after application and showed significant reduction of the disease compared to the untreated.

MODIF

Bean rust

Bean rust has been the major disease in Field Beans in recent years.

Hot days and humid nights are ideal for the disease to develop and yield loss can be up to 70% in extreme cases according to PGRO.

It is important to maintain a clean crop and AZOXYSTAR, containing azoxystrobin, can be used twice at 1.0L/Ha between BBCH 60 and 69 to control the disease (see label for details).

AZOXYSTAR

Pea and Bean weevil

Pea and Bean Weevil is a common pest of legumes. Adults fly from their over-wintering sites around fields in spring. Attacked plants show the typical U shaped notching as the adults feed on the leaves. The females lay eggs around the plants and the larvae that hatch feed on the root nodules, causing the most important damage.

LAMBDASTAR, containing lambda-cyhalothrin, can be used for control of Pea and Bean Weevil in the pea crop (see label for details).

Treatment should be timed when leaf damage is first seen, if there is a risk to the growing points of the plant, to stop the adults laying eggs.

LAMBDASTAR

Life in Life Scientific

May in Life Scientific Newsletter

Welcome to the May edition of the Life Scientific Newsletter.

Here at Life Scientific, we like to make information on our products, developments, and scientific innovation as accessible as possible.

As part of this open approach, we have become a member of FarmPEP.net.

FarmPEP has been co-designed by an industry wide partnership, supported by Innovate UK and ADAS.

The initiative is described on the ADAS website as:

“a new knowledge exchange platform that is open to all. The aim is to connect across agriculture and support farm centric knowledge generation”

FarmPEP is for all agricultural stakeholders: farmers, agricultural advisors, researchers, industry and knowledge exchange practitioners. Anyone is able to join the community and share. There are topics that all organisations, initiatives and resources can connect to. ‘Wikipedia’ style summaries create an easy way to transfer knowledge focused around a theme.

FarmPEP encourages knowledge sharing on all aspects of agriculture, with a focus on active projects, farm-led innovation, and research. The aim is to connect content, rather than duplicating what already exists, via summaries and signposting to external websites. Users can share commercial content, products and services, as long as it is clearly marked as such.”

The FarmPEP website can be found at: https://adas.co.uk/services/farm-pep/

AZOXYSTAR – not just another generic

Reverse-engineered products from Life Scientific are made to be identical to the proprietary brand, and we are always looking for ways to show this in the field, either in efficacy trials or in other practical ways.

We were recently contacted by a grower who uses a high nitrate source of water from a borehole. Whilst Amistar has always sprayed well for him, some generic azoxystrobin formulations have allegedly caused blockages in his sprayer.

To prove the quality of our product, we tested AXOXYSTAR and Amistar in our Dublin laboratory using the farmer’s water. Neither product left any residue in a wet sieve test (as done in physical tank-mix work). The scientists also used equipment called a Turbiscan which predicts the behaviour of the product in solution over time, the higher the line the less predicted sedimentation. Again, both performed well, with AZOXYSTAR giving less predicted sedimentation than Amistar.

AZOXYSTAR

In-furrow use in potatoes

AZOXYSTAR is approved at 3.0L/Ha at planting in the furrow in potatoes to reduce the severity of Stem Canker, Black Scurf and Black Dot (see label for details).

To support the label extension for AZOXYSTAR in potatoes at planting, Life Scientific worked with Team Sprayers (https://www.team-sprayers.com) and Techneat Engineering (http://www.techneatengineering.co.uk) to confirm the application performance of the product through direct injection applicators.

The work showed that AZOXYSTAR had identical throughput to Amistar at 3 to 5 bar, from 50 to 150L/Ha, using different nozzles to suit the varying forward speed of different potato planters.

They also found that AZOXYSTAR is easily cleaned from the system by standard washing procedures

This practical work was supported by 10 replicated field trials conducted in the UK and Northern France, which showed no significant differences in disease reduction levels between AZOXYSTAR and Amistar.

Don’t forget beans

With disease levels in Field Beans being a worry this year, don’t forget that Azoxystar can be used twice at 1.0L/Ha between BBCH 60 and 69 to control Rust.

Disease control in cereals

The choice of fungicide partners for T1 is proving especially challenging this year as April weather made timely T0 applications difficult in many areas.

ESKER and ORASO PRO, which both contain tebuconazole and prothioconazole, can help in your cereal fungicide programmes.

Both products are approved in wheat, barley, oats and Winter rye.

Tebuconazole has proven activity against Yellow and Brown rust, and prothioconazole has good activity against a range of the key cereal diseases. The combination of the two active ingredients makes an ideal tank-mix partner, covering a wide range of diseases including Yellow rust, Powdery mildew, Septoria, ear diseases and Eyespot in wheat, Powdery mildew, rusts, Net blotch, Rhynchosporium, ear diseases and Eyespot in barley, Powdery mildew, Brown rust, Rhynchosporium in rye, and Crown rust, Powdery mildew and Eyespot in oats.

To show the comparability of ORASO PRO with Prosaro, the reference product from which ORASO PRO was reverse-engineered, a trial was conducted by ADAS to demonstrate activity against Yellow Rust in wheat. Kestrel was also included in the trial.

The results confirmed that ORASO PRO was at least as effective as the standards in the trial, giving excellent control of Yellow Rust.

The active ingredients in ORASO PRO and ESKER are absorbed quickly into the leaf and translocated within the plant.

Ongoing work at Life Scientific is investigating how formulation can help penetration and movement within the plant and we are trialling a unique optimised cereal fungicide solution this year in the UK, which we hope to launch in 2024.

Life in Life Scientific

April in Life Scientific Newsletter

Welcome to the April edition of the Life Scientific Newsletter.

There are a huge variety of job roles within agriculture, not just the obvious farmer or agronomist, so we were pleased to be asked to help out at Hartpury Agricultural College Careers day at the end of March.

Representatives from distribution, seed breeding, technology companies, accountants, land agents, charities and manufacturers were on hand to talk about the options available and the skills needed for individual roles.

Life Scientific were asked to be on an interview type panel where the students gave us a grilling on different careers within the sector and asked some tricky questions about where we saw the future of the industry and what their focus should be going forwards.

It was also an opportunity for manufacturers and other industry representatives to look at the facilities within the college and discuss the various course syllabuses. A favourite was the newly installed tractor driving simulators.

Weed control in maize

As conditions improve through April, maize will be drilled across the country for energy or animal feed.

Looking after the crop during its early development is critical and getting good weed control is key. Weeds compete with the young maize plants for light, water and nutrients and can quickly smother the developing crop. Competition from weeds is most damaging to maize in the early stages, so it is important to use an effective herbicide programme, ideally within the first six weeks of the crop’s growth.

Depending on the site, it may be useful to begin with a pre-emergence herbicide which can act as an insurance.

This should be followed by an effective post-emergence application targeted at the specific weeds which come through, ideally when weeds are small and actively growing.

BASILICO, containing mesotrione, is a very useful component of weed control strategies in grain and forage maize. Applied at 0.75 L/Ha, it controls a wide range of broad-leaved weeds, including Fat-hen, Redshank and Black-nightshade, three of the most important weeds in maize.

The active ingredient is taken up quickly into the weeds, mainly by foliar activity, but care must be taken with application to ensure good coverage of the target. The product should be applied when the weeds have emerged and the crop has reached two leaves, and before the maize exceeds the eight leaf stage.

An ideal programme should include active ingredients with other modes of action to broaden the weed spectrum, especially against grass weeds.

BASILICO with MAPP number 18028 can no longer be purchased but can still be used on farm up to 31st December 2023 and can be used at the higher rate of 1.5 L/Ha.

BASILICO

Cereal herbicides and tank-mixes

Herbicide applications are continuing to be made. As a general rule, all pesticide products should be applied to well-established, actively growing crops.

For SU herbicides such as CINTAC and NIANTIC, extra consideration should be given to application timing and conditions as they can cause crop damage if they are applied to crops experiencing large temperature changes, eg cold nights and warm days, particularly when used in large tank-mixes.

Keep products in the sprayer tank to a minimum and check application intervals required for some plant growth regulation products.

CINTAC, containing a higher dose of mesosulfuron-methyl and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium than products such as Hatra, Horus and NIANTIC, is physically compatible in tank-mix with a wide range of products, but don’t forget to check product labels for approved tank-mixes or sequences for any ALS treatments.

In recent tests, CINTAC has also now been shown to be physically compatible in 2-way tests with Vertipin, Viteum R or Incite, with continuous agitation.

CINTAC    NIANTIC

Sclerotinia control in oilseed rape

As oilseed rape continues to develop rapidly, it will soon be time to think about treatments for control of the main flowering disease in rape, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

To help with this, Life Scientific have launched BOSCLER which contains the SDHI fungicide boscalid, a protectant fungicide very effective at controlling the disease.

Given the right conditions, Sclerotinia can be very damaging to oilseed rape by stopping movement of water and nutrition through the plant’s vascular system. In extreme circumstances, the plant can die or oilseed rape yields can be reduced by 50%.

Whilst oilseed rape can be significantly affected by the disease, other crops are susceptible to Sclerotinia such as peas, potatoes, and a range of vegetables, so it is also important to control the disease to protect these crops in the rotation.

Sclerotinia infects crops in the spring when the sclerotia release spores. If these spores land on the plant they can further infect and spread, with highest risk being when the crop is in flower. Damage occurs when the stem becomes infected, leading to constricted stems and lodging. Sclerotinia needs a combination of factors to cause most damage, including warm humid weather and a flowering crop.

Fortunately, the disease can be controlled effectively with a fungicide such as BOSCLER, which should be applied at 0.5 kg/Ha as a protectant spray in high disease risk situations from early to full flowering (BBCH GS 63-65) and before disease symptoms are seen in the crop.

AHDB publish infection risk alerts based on weather which can be very useful to help with correct fungicide timing. If there is a long period of infection risk, a two-spray programme may be needed. Although there is no known resistance to SDHI fungicides in Sclerotinia in the UK, it can make sense to mix BOSCLER with a fungicide with a different mode of action, such as AZOXYSTAR containing azoxystrobin, to help prevent resistance developing.

Boscalid is also known to help the plant’s leaves stay greener for longer which can help to maintain yield.

BOSCLER

Early disease control in wheat

Because of the mild winter, early disease attack in cereals is a real threat this year and a T0 application is an important start to your fungicide programme.

Where Yellow rust is a risk, consider the use of Esker or Oraso Pro, as prothioconazole and tebuconazole (the active ingredients in the products) both have activity against the disease.

Application of either product between GS 30 and 32 will also give some reduction in the incidence of Eyespot.

    ESKER       ORASO PRO

April in Life Scientific Newsletter

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March in Life Scientific Newsletter

Welcome to the March edition of the Life Scientific Newsletter.

To continually improve our service we believe it is important that all our staff understand the needs and frustrations of our customers. Last month, staff at head office had the opportunity to get hands-on sprayer training with applications expert, Tom Robinson.

The training took place on the University College Dublin’s research farm.

Tom explained what is needed from a crop protection product formulation, how to get the best out of it with correct nozzle selection, water volume and spray quality, and how to clean the sprayer afterwards.

Tom showed the benefits of triple rinsing the sprayer instead of using a single rinse with the example below.

If 2.5 L/Ha of a product is sprayed in 100 L/Ha water using a 5000 litre sprayer, 625 ml of the product will be left in the tank after application.

A single clean water rinse of 500 litres would leave 28 ml of product, but rinsing three times using the same amount of clean water leaves only 1 ml of product in the tank.

Life Scientific are pleased to launch LAYA this spring. LAYA contains metsulfuron-methyl and is a reverse engineered Ally SX. As an ALS inhibitor herbicide, LAYA should be cleaned from the sprayer after use using the triple rinse method described above and it is advisable to use a proprietary tank cleaner to avoid any issues with sensitive crops following applications of LAYA or Life Scientific SUMIR, containing florasulam.

LAYA

Spring broad-leaved weed control in cereals

Life Scientific has a range of herbicides for use in crops in the spring. In cereals, there are two key ALS herbicides for broad-leaved weed control – LAYA (one of the new products for 2023 containing metsulfuron-methyl), and SUMIR which contains florasulam. LAYA can be applied to winter cereals from the 15th March if weed size, crop condition and environmental conditions are appropriate and is a reverse-engineered formulation of the reference product, Ally SX.

The product is approved on the following crops:

For spring cereals and green cover on land not being used for crop production, LAYA must only be applied from 1st April.

Sulfonyl urea herbicides are key for many broad-leaved weed herbicide programmes in cereals. Whilst there is a choice of different sulfonyl urea active ingredients and blends available, metsulfuron-methyl, the active ingredient in LAYA, remains a reliable all-rounder to control a wide range of broad-leaved weeds in the spring.

Metsulfuron-metyl is readily absorbed by the foliage and roots, and translocated within the weed. It is an ALS inhibitor herbicide affecting amino acid biosynthesis in the plant, meaning that weeds stop growing and die. Anything which can slow down the weed’s growth, e.g. drought, cold or stress can affect the activity of ALS inhibitor herbicides. These herbicides work best in good growing conditions. The better the growing conditions for the weed, the better and faster the level of control.

The ALS herbicide range also includes SUMIR with strengths against some difficult-to-control weeds including Cleavers. Trials work conducted with ADAS investigated SUMIR’s activity against some non-label weeds such as volunteer beans and Bur Chervil. A range of rates were tested from 0.04-0.07L/Ha against 2, 4 and 6 leaf weeds (timings A, B and C in the photos below). The trial also looked at the addition of an adjuvant (Toil).

Activity of SUMIR against volunteer beans           Activity of Sumir against Bur Chervil

Source ADAS trial 2022

Results showed good activity against Field Beans from 0.05-0.07L/Ha when applied to the target weed at 4 leaves. This was equivalent to control seen with Boxer. No significant benefit was seen when Toil was added.

For Bur Chervil up to 58% control was achieved in the trial with 0.07L/Ha applied at 4 leaves of the weed. Some advantage was seen with the addition of Toil at the early timing.

Remember that the total amount of florasulam applied to a cereal crop must not exceed 7.5g ai/Ha (0.15L/Ha).

When using any ALS inhibitor herbicide, check approved tank-mixes and sequences with other ALS products before use.

SUMIR

Grass weed control

The Life Scientific range of cereal herbicides also includes KIPOTA, a reverse-engineered Topik containing 240 g/l clodinafop-propargyl and 60 g/l cloquintocet-mexyl for the control of Wild-oats and other grass weeds in crops of winter and spring wheat, durum wheat, rye and triticale.

When used according to the label, KIPOTA will control the weeds listed in the table below:

Wild-oats and Italian Rye-grass are two of the most competitive weeds in cereals, with Wild-oats being more than twice as competitive as Black-grass. Just 5 plants per square metre can reduce yield by 5%, and this can be much worse in high populations. It is therefore important to control Wild-oats early, with smaller actively-growing plants being better controlled by KIPOTA. The product has good activity against both susceptible Italian Rye-grass and Wild-oats.

The equivalence of KIPOTA and Topik have been tested on Winter and Spring Wild-oats in the laboratory by NIAB.

Both products were applied at a rate of 0.125 l/ha plus oil. The photo below shows susceptible Wild-oat plants 32 days after application. NIAB concluded that there was no statistical difference between KIPOTA and Topik in the trial.

KIPOTA

March in Life Scientific Newsletter

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February in Life Scientific Newsletter

Welcome to the February edition of the Life Scientific Newsletter.

At Life Scientific our R&D team (laboratory and regulatory) are specialists in their technical areas but they are also very focused on having first-hand knowledge of how our products will be used, and what’s most important to farmers and agronomists

As part of an ongoing customer focus training programme, staff at headquarters in Dublin will be attending a practical session with applications expert, Tom Robinson, to understand crop sprayers and the application of different formulation types.

This is especially important for us now as our chemists are developing novel formulations and this spring we will be launching LAYA, Life Scientific’s metsulfuron-methyl which, like all sulfonyl ureas, needs particular attention to the sprayer washout process, another area that will be covered as part of the course.

PRODUCT NEWS

2023 has started well for Life Scientific in the UK with the approval of Plant Growth Regulator product, TRINESTAR.

TRINESTAR contains 250g/L trinexapac-ethyl and is approved for use in wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, Durum wheat and grassland seed crops.

TRINESTAR is a reverse-engineered emulsifiable concentrate formulation of Moddus. A product label, tank-mix list, Safety Data Sheet, and an Engineered Benefits sheet are available on the Life Scientific website.

We are expecting more exciting product approvals throughout 2023 including important herbicides, fungicides and insecticides and we will let you know as soon as they appear.

TRINESTAR

February Weed Control

We are regularly receiving calls regarding weed control in wheat following autumn herbicide programmes.

Although January had some cold nights, the generally mild conditions have allowed broad-leaved and grass weeds, such as Annual meadow-grass, to continue to grow.

Remember that CINTAC, containing a higher dose of mesosulfuron-methyl and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium than products such as Hatra, Horus and NIANTIC, can be applied from 1st February and can help control a range of weeds that have come through autumn herbicide programmes in wheat.

Don’t forget to check the label for approved tank-mixes or sequences for any follow-up ALS treatments.

Tips For Black-grass Control Through Product Application

Spray applications expert Tom Robinson has been trialling CINTAC to understand how to get the maximum weed control by using different application techniques. The trials looked at levels of black-grass control using four mainstream nozzles and three different boom heights. With many growers looking to start their herbicide programmes in spring as they were unable to apply any autumn products it will be vital to get the best performance possible from any products.

Four different nozzle types were tested to see how they influenced efficacy of CINTAC against black-grass. The Guardian Air 110˚ reduced drift, Traditional Flat Fan 110˚ with medium spray quality, a Flat Fan 80˚, giving a higher energy output and a Defy 3D set to alternate forwards and backwards along the boom. The best black-grass control was achieved with the nozzle which gave the greatest spray deposition on all four surface areas of the water sensitive targets. The Defy 3D nozzle gave the best all-round coverage at both 50 and 100cm above the crop

The boom height of the sprayer is incredibly important to get maximum efficacy from CINTAC, or any product being used. For all four nozzle types tested in the CINTAC application trials, the boom height was important, although the Guardian Air was the least sensitive to the different heights. From 50 to 100cm the most consistent performing nozzle decreased coverage of the water sensitive paper by 10% and none of the nozzles tested had more than 8% coverage of the front vertical side of the targets when the boom height was set to 100cm above the crop. Combined coverage on all surfaces from the 4 nozzles fell from 26% at 50 cm nozzle height, to 19% at 100 cm. a drop of 35%. The figures illustrate the importance of keeping the nozzle at a height no greater than 50 cm above the crop, to get the best kill of blackgrass. Using headcount and yield loss data from Dr Stephen Moss, (formally Rothamsted Research), using the Defy 3D nozzle over the Guardian Air would give an increase in yield of 0.7 tons/ha. This season, with the variation in control of yield robbing grass weeds such as black-grass, every care must be taken to preserve profitability and minimise seed return for the following year. Best Practise: Apply CINTAC in 200l/ha at not more than 12km/hr using a Defy 3D (05 or 06), nozzle height should not be more than 50cm above the crop.

FIRESTARTER For Spring Crops

To help spring cereal growers, 2022 saw the addition of Spring barley to the FIRESTARTER label, which already included Winter barley, Winter wheat and Spring wheat.

FIRESTARTER contains 400 g/l flufenacet and 100 g/l diflufenican and is a pre and post-emergence herbicide for the control of grass and annual broad-leaved weeds. It is a reverse-engineered Liberator. Flufenacet, a contact and residual herbicide, is still regarded as an essential component of grass weed resistance management strategies in cereals, with the DFF broadening out the weed spectrum.

At the rate approved in Spring wheat and barley (0.3L/Ha), Annual Meadow-grass will be controlled pre-and post-emergence up to the 2 leaf stage. Spring barley may be treated pre-emergence of the crop and Spring wheat may be treated pre-or post-emergence before the 4 true leaf stage of the crop.

FIRESTARTER

EAMUs

Whilst there are already a number of EAMUs for the Life Scientific products, we are currently reviewing what additional EAMUs could be useful for our customers. We have several applications in process including Linseed for the newly re-registered BASILICO and Sweetcorn. If you have any other suggestions, please let us know.

February in Life Scientific Newsletter

Life in Life Scientific

January in Life Scientific Newsletter

Happy New Year to all our customers and colleagues!

Ideal weather and establishment conditions for many mean that generally crops look full of promise and hopefully there is lots to be positive about in 2023.

We have lots to celebrate in the year ahead. Two new products for the spring and potentially more to follow in the autumn. Several EAMU applications have gone into CRD to expand the use of our existing products and we are expanding our product range in other countries too.

As usual we can kick off the new year with product briefings before the soil warms up, things start growing and disease starts to develop.

If you’d like to hear from us, either in person or for a virtual product briefing please contact us using one of the methods at the foot of this newsletter.

Product News

Azoxystar, containing 250 g/l azoxystrobin is a reverse engineered Amistar. Azoxystar is a broad spectrum fungicide for use in many crops but is particularly useful in early spring for use in potato crops at planting.

One in-furrow application is allowed in potatoes. This should be 3.0 l/ha applied at planting in the furrow and provides useful activity to reduce the severity of soil-bourne diseases such as Stem Canker, Black Scurf and Black Dot.

Azoxystar should be applied to the soil, not the tubers before the tubers start to sprout.

For more information: AZOXYSTAR

To support the label extension for Azoxystar in potatoes at planting, Life Scientific have worked with Team Sprayers https://www.team-sprayers.com/ and Techneat Engineering http://www.techneatengineering.co.uk/ to confirm the application performance of Azoxystar through direct injection applicators designed for in‐furrow treatment.

• Calibrated on the Team Sprayers Compact 120 and Techneat In-Furrow V2
• Perfect results achieved from 3 to 5 bar
• Identical throughput compared to Amistar
• Consistent delivery for spray volumes from 50 to 150 l/ha using different output AZ or Lechler nozzles to suit the varying forward speed of different potato planters
• Azoxystar is easily cleaned from the system by standard washing procedures
• 10 replicated field trials conducted in UK and Northern France showed no significant differences in disease reduction levels between Azoxystar and Amistar when used in furrow in potatoes for the control of Stem Canker, Black Scurf and Black Dot.

Azoxystar can be used once at planting as an in- furrow application at a maximum dose rate of 3 l/ha. For more information see the website :AZOXYSTAR

Follow-up Weed Control In Winter Wheat

Where weeds have come through autumn herbicide programmes, a follow-up treatment may be needed in the New Year.

CINTAC, containing the highly active herbicides mesosulfuron-methyl and iodosulfuron-methyl sodium, is a good choice for a range of broad-leaved weeds and sensitive grass weed species, including bromes, sensitive Black-grass and Rye-grass, Rough-stalked and Annual meadow-grass.

CINTAC can be sprayed from 1st February and applies a higher dose of each active ingredient per hectare than products such as NIANTIC, Hatra or Horus. It must be mixed with PROBE or Biopower.

Cintac can be used up to a maximum rate of 0.5 kg/Ha where bromes are the major component of the weed spectrum. Cintac also targets volunteer oilseed rape, chickweed, mayweeds, wild oats and meadow grass, among others.

AS CINTAC contains sulfonyl ureas, it can only be tank-mixed or sequenced with other ALS herbicides which are specified on the product label, so it is important to be aware of what has previously been sprayed.

CINTAC is a contact herbicide and works best when applied to small actively growing weeds. Whichever weed is being targeted, application is critical. This is especially true when spraying small grass weeds after the beginning of February.

Applications expert Tom Robinson conducted trials for Life Scientific to investigate how to get the most from products containing mesosulfuron-methyl and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium, such as CINTAC.

The replicated and large-scale field trials showed that boom height and nozzle choice were key to getting the best performance from the herbicide. Black-grass spray coverage fell from 26% at 50 cm nozzle height to 19% at 100 cm, a drop of 35%. The ‘Best Application’ is the one which will give the best efficacy under the widest range of conditions, whilst also managing drift. Tom advises keeping boom height to no more than 50cm, maintaining sprayer speeds at 12kph and only using CINTAC with approved adjuvants PROBE or BioPower.

CINTAC

Don’t Forget Light Leaf Spot

Crops which were not treated for Light Leaf Spot in the autumn will need treating soon, before disease establishes. Susceptible varieties

 which

received an autumn treatment, or where high disease pressure is predicted,may also need treating and it is worth checking crops carefully early in the month for signs of disease.

Consider using a product containing prothioconazole such as AURELIA. ESKER or ORASO PRO, which contain both prothioconazole and tebuconazole and will control Light Leaf Spot, with the tebuconazole having some growth regulatory activity on the crop.

See the labels for dose rates and timings.

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December in Life Scientific Newsletter

After three years it was great to get the whole team together for our Christmas party in Dublin and to celebrate Nicola Mitchell’s win of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award back in 2020. It’s the first chance we’ve had to celebrate her success together as a team so a fabulous time was had by all.

Product News

We’re delighted to announce two new products which will be added to our portfolio next spring.

LAYA contains 200g Metsulfuron and is a reverse-engineered Ally SX . LAYA is a is a sulfonyl urea herbicide for spring-applied broad-leaved wee

d control in wheat, barley, oats and triticale. It can be applied once per crop at a maximum dose of 30g/ha up to the flag leaf sheath extending stage.

Our second new addition for the spring is LEASH containing 200g clopyralid. LEASH is a reverse-engineered Dow Shield which can be used for perennial and annual broad-leaved weeds on a range of different crops (see label opposite)

More product information will be available shortly.

Niantic

In those areas where machinery travel is possible, growers are considering their herbicide options for cereals as the mild weather has been encouraging weed growth.

Niantic contains mesosulfuron-methyl and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium, two highly active sulfonylurea herbicides for the control of non-resistant black-grass, wild oats, rye-grasses, meadow grasses, common chickweed, mayweeds, charlock and volunteer oilseed rape in winter wheat.

Application technique, particularly nozzle choice, makes a huge difference to levels of control and with spray opportunities now limited it’s crucial to get it right first time.

For more information including product label, safety data sheet and compatible tank mixes see the Life Scientific website.

BYDV In Winter Cereals

Whilst populations of cereal aphids vary across the UK, many crops are now approaching, or have reached, the critical T sum figure of 170 day degrees. This is the accumulated air temperature above 3 degrees C from the day of drilling and is important as it indicates that second generation aphids could be moving away from the plants on which they originated, spreading virus to new cereal plants.

Aphids are less active in cooler temperatures, especially below 3 degrees C, but the mild conditions which we are experiencing continue to encourage aphid activity and movement.

If crops have reached the T sum 170, and aphids can easily be found, it is worthwhile protecting your cereal crop from BYDV by applying an insecticide to control the virus-carrying aphids.

LAMBDASTAR, containing 100g/l of lambda-cyhalothrin, is approved for use on winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats and durum wheat and should be used at the full rate of 50ml/ha.

LAMBDASTAR

Follow the link below to view AHDB’s BYDV

management tool for cereals:

AHDB’S BYDV

Disease Control In Oilseed Rape

Agronomists across the country are reporting that Phoma can be readily found above the disease threshold of 10-20% of plants with leaf spots (depending on the resistance rating of the variety). As the disease can lead to the formation of stem cankers with yield losses of 0.5 T/Ha, and associated issues such as premature senescence and lodging, it is worth considering a first application, or follow-up if an early application was made.

An application of an appropriate fungicide product at the end of the year can also give protection against Light Leaf Spot.

Life Scientific offers a range of effective fungicides which can be applied to the oilseed rape crop at this time. If you need cost-effective control of Phoma without any growth regulation, DIFENOSTAR (containing difenoconazole) provides a good option. AURELIA (containing prothioconazole) has activity against Phoma and Light Leaf Spot, whilst ESKER or ORASO PRO (containing both prothioconazole and tebuconazole) will also give control of both diseases, with the tebuconazole known to have some growth regulation activity in the crop.

See the labels for dose rates and timings.

ESKER

Follow the link below to view AHDB’s oilseed rape disease

management guide:

AHDB

December in Life Scientific Newsletter

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We  another new approval for our product AZOXYSTAR (MAPP 17407). Azoxystar is a reverse engineered haveformulation of its reference product Amistar and contains 250g/l azoxystrobin. Azoxystar can already be used on a wide range of crops, however CRD have recently granted the following Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMUs) for the product:

As with all EAMUs, neither the efficacy nor the phytotoxicity of the product for which this Extension of authorisation has been granted has been assessed and use is at the user’s risk.

For full details and specific use instructions, refer to the Authorisation Notice which is on the website.

AZOXYSTAR

Oilseed rape disease control

Now is the time to consider applying a fungicide to your oilseed rape, and to monitor if Phoma is above threshold in the crop.

The two key autumn diseases, Phoma and Light Leaf Spot may require different strategies for control.

Phoma is actually caused by two closely related pathogens – Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria iglobosahe, with the former showing as pale circular spots containing small black dots (p

ycnidia), whilst the latter shows as darker spots with fewer or no pycnidia.

The leaf spots do not cause much damage but the disease can move from the leaf to form stem cankers which reduce water and nutrient movement in the plant, resulting in premature senescence, lodging and yield loss from early infections up to 0.5T/Ha.

Fungicide application should be made when the crop reaches the disease threshold of 10-20% of plants with leaf spots (depending on the resistance rating of the variety) and the crop may need a repeat treatment. AHDB’s Phoma forecast suggests that some crops are already at threshold.

https://ahdb.org.uk/phoma-leaf-spot-forecast

Unlike Phoma, symptoms of Light Leaf Spot, caused by Pyrenopezizabrassicae, tend to appear later in the autumn as pale green patches with small white spots around the edge. Infections can lead to losses of 1T/Ha. AHDB’s Light Leaf Spot forecast shows higher predicted incidence of the disease further north but the disease can be present anywhere in the UK. If fungicide is required, based on variety and risk, application should be considered now, before symptoms are seen. However, this could be at the same time as a first or second phoma spray, so product choice is important.

This year’s oilseed rape crop was drilled into relatively dry seedbeds with significant threat of attack from Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle. As prices for the crop remain high, it is important to protect the crop from disease and develop as strong a plant as possible going into the winter.

Life Scientific has a range of products approved for autumn disease control in oilseed rape to use in your programmes.

DIFENOSTAR (containing difenoconazole) provides cost-effective control of phoma, without any growth regulation effects on the plant, which could be important this autumn.

As a follow-up spray, AURELIA (containing prothioconazole) will give control of phoma and Light Leaf Spot.

Allternatively, ESKER or ORASO PRO (containing prothioconazole plus tebuconazole) will also give control of both diseases, whilst tebuconazole is known to have some growth regulation activity in the crop.

See the labels for dose rates and timings.

Aurelia, Esker, Oraso Pro and Difenostar.

AURELIA

ESKER

ORASO PRO

DIFENOSTAR

BYDV

The warm dry autumn has meant that aphids can be easily found in a range of crops now, so the risk from Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) is expected to be high this year. BYDV is transmitted by cereal aphids, the principal species being Grain Aphid, the most important vector in the midlands and north, and Bird Cherry-Oat aphid which is most important in the south. 

According to AHDB, the virus can cause yield losses of up to 60% in winter wheat and 50% in winter barley. An aphid will carry the disease for its entire life once it has acquired the virus by feeding on an infected plant. The virus is not passed to the aphid’s offspring so has to be ingested by the aphids feeding on infected plants. Warm dry conditions encourage aphid reproduction and movement in the crop, so increase the risk of greater infection.

Crops are infected in the autumn, although symptoms do not appear until the spring, at which point it is too late for control. Significant infection occurs when second generation aphids feed and move out from the initial infection point. Infected plants grow slowly and the youngest leaves will start to discolour. Later in the season plants are stunted and yellow patches appear, distributed throughout the field.

Chemical control options are limited, so targeting aphids at the correct time is important. Agronomists and growers should check the crop carefully and use a monitoring tool which uses temperature to predict when the second generation will occur. AHDB report on regional monitoring sites for aphid activity and have details of the T-Sum monitoring tool on their website at https://ahdb.org.uk/bydv.

LAMBDASTAR contains 100g/l of lambda-cyhalothrin and is approved for use on winter wheat, winter barley, winter oats and durum wheat. It should be used at the full rate of 50ml/ha to control aphids and protect crops against BYDV.

LAMBDASTAR

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We were pleased to celebrate the 25th working anniversary of one of our colleagues Sharon Brady last month. We asked her to write a few words on how the company, and her role in Regulation has  changed over that time. “I joined Generic Registration Services, as it was formerly known, in September 1997 as laboratory
manager straight from completing my PhD. It was myself and Nicola Mitchell in a small room, just big enough to fit two desks, enough bench space to fit a manual HPLC and GC, and of course, the all important fax machine to communicate with the outside world. Nicola had amazingly obtained GLP accreditation before my arrival and so at that time we specialised in contract GLP 5-batch and registration services. After 18 months I moved into the regulatory side of the business and at the same time dabbled with quality part-time, but once I got a feel for regulatory, I knew that was where I wanted to be. From a regulatory perspective, I suppose one of the biggest changes that I have seen over the years is that although information is now at our fingertips via the internet, no more searching through publications for details of product authorisations, and thankfully we are now in a paper-free space, it is becoming increasingly difficult to have direct contact with regulatory authorities, albeit over phone or in person. COVID has also massively impacted this. The days of jumping on a plane to e.g. CRD are unfortunately becoming a thing of the past. There have been many highlights through the decades but definitely one that springs to mind is the move from a CRO to developing our products; there is no greater satisfaction than obtaining a product authorisation for Life Scientific.”

PRODUCT NEWS

Historically seed treatments provided good protection from Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). Now that those treatments are gone, we are relying on cultural control methods and pyrethroid insecticides such as Lambdastar. Lambdastar, our reverse engineered Hallmark Zeon containing 100g/l lambda-cyhalothrin should be applied to target second generation aphids as these are likely to move away from the plant originally colonised. Use a BYDV management tool or the 170 day degree model to ensure accurate timing. For best application technique, if using the product alone rather than in a fungicide or herbicide mix, use with a non-organo-silicone non-ionic wetter to get maximum efficacy. Total dose of Lambdastar approved on wheat and barley crops is 200ml used before late milk stage GS 77 and an individual dose of 50ml/ha. For more product information visit the website

LAMBDASTAR

LABEL CHANGES FOR FIRESTARTER

We have some exciting additions to the Firestarter label for this autumn. Firestarter contains 400g/l flufenacet and 100g/l diflufenican and is a reverse engineered Liberator. Previously Firestarter could only be used once per crop however the newly approved label allows for Firestarter to be used as a follow-up post emergence treatment at 0.3l/ha, in addition to its existing pre- emergence use of 0.6l/ha. Spring barley has also been added to the label and can be used at 0.3l/ha at a              pre-emergence timing.

This exciting approval broadens the choice for autumn weed control programmes and costs. Firestarter can be used as a follow up treatment to Luximo, the new pre-emergence herbicide, as a cost- effective follow up, or it can be used in an alternative product stack or on its own as both a pre and post-emergence treatment.
However, it’s important to note that where Firestarter is applied twice in sequence and the total dose is 0.9l/ha, the first application must be made before GS14 of the crop, leaving a minimum interval of 6 weeks between applications. For further product information and the new label see our website for details.

FIRESTARTER

EARLY WEED CONTROL IN CEREALS

With a large acreage of wheat still to drill, particularly in areas with high black-grass populations, considerations turn to early weed control and which herbicide options to choose. Firestarter has a proven track record for efficacy equivalence and reliable performance.

Firestarter can be used pre and or post emergence in both winter wheat or barley crops. Flufenacet has strong activity against black-grass control and a range of broad leaved weeds and should be an essential ingredient in any grass weed control programme. With blackgrass control there is very little room for error, so it’s important to know that the products being applied in the programme are proven and effective.

Replicated field trials have been carried out by the team at Prime Crop Research Ltd in order to demonstrate the efficacy and crop safety of Firestarter when used alone and as part of a programme with other herbicides. The bar chart shows the percentage of blackgrass seed head reduction at three different trial sites over a three year period. When Firestarter is used in a mixture with Avadex, trials show a 95.6% reduction in blackgrass head numbers. Firestarter also controls a number of other weeds both at pre and post emergence.

October in Life Scientific Newsletter