US approves DuPont's Aproach Prima Fungicide

US EPA has granted registration for DuPont’s Aproach Prima fungicide (picoxystrobin+cyproconazole), a new fungicide with two modes of action to protect yield potential and address resistant fungal diseases for corn, soybean and wheat growers.

Aproach Prima includes the same unique strobilurin active ingredient as DuPont Aproach fungicide plus triazole to deliver a second critical mode of action that helps manage fungicide-resistant diseases and helps growers protect their genetic investment.

The dual protection offered by Aproach Prima provides preventive and curative control of difficult and yield-robbing diseases in corn, soybeans and wheat, including frogeye leaf spot, a major soybean disease in the South and mid-South that has recently spread into northern growing areas. Aproach Prima also protects crops from damage due to Septoria brown spot, downy mildew, soybean rust, gray leaf spot, Northern corn leaf blight, common rust and Southern rust.

“As the threat of resistant fungal diseases continues to grow, Aproach Prima offers growers a new tool for protecting their genetic investments, especially on intensively managed, high-yielding acres,” said James Hay, regional director, North America, DuPont Crop Protection. “We continue to introduce new crop protection products from the DuPont pipeline as part of our commitment to help growers maximize production. Working together, we can meet the food needs of our growing world population.”

Systemic movement within the plant allows the unique strobilurin in Aproach Prima to prevent and control disease on all plant surfaces, even on stems and leaves deep under the canopy. The combination of two premier fungicides in Aproach Prima controls strobilurin-resistant fungal pathogens, as well as maintains plant health under stressful conditions and protects acres exposed to significant disease pressure.

• In field trials throughout the country, Aproach Prima reduced the incidence of disease and severity levels, leading to healthier plants and increased yield.
• In soybeans, Aproach Prima decreased severity of resistant frogeye leafspot by more than 67% and increased yield by 6 bushels per acre over untreated soybeans not treated with fungicide.
• Aproach Prima decreased the incidence of soybean rust by 92% compared with untreated control plots, while Quilt Xcel only reduced rust incidence by 42%. That improved disease control delivered increased soybean yield by 16 bushels per acre over Quilt Xcel plots.
• In seed corn, when compared to two leading fungicides, Aproach Prima maintained green leaf area more effectively and increased yield by more than 11 bushels per acre versus untreated acres, significantly more than the other fungicides.
• In a winter wheat trial, Aproach Prima reduced severity of powdery mildew by nearly 99% and Septoria tritici (the cause of Septoria leaf blotch) by nearly 85%, compared with disease reductions of 89% and 65%, respectively, by Quilt Xcel.

DuPont Crop Protection is one of several companies collaborating through the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) to monitor plant disease and identify best practices to reduce development of fungicide-resistant diseases. Other resistance management strategies recommended by FRAC include avoiding repeated use of a single fungicide mode of action, maintaining recommended dose rates, mixing or alternating with an appropriate partner fungicide, limiting the number and timing of treatments, avoiding eradicant use, and integrating fungicide use with non-chemical methods.