US OKs BASF's Sercadis fungicide

BASF recently announced that Sercadis® fungicide(fluxapyroxad+propylene+proprietary ingredients) has received full U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration. Sercadis fungicide provides rice growers with a solution for resistant sheath blight in rice. Since 2012, Sercadis fungicide has been available to Louisiana rice growers through a Section 18 emergency exemption.

“Sercadis fungicide is a tool to help rice growers control the problematic rice disease sheath blight,” said Brianne Reeves, D.P.M., Technical Market Specialist, BASF. “With a new mode of action available to growers, Sercadis fungicide protects crops against this economically damaging disease.”

Sheath blight typically infects the culms at the water line between the late tilling and joint elongation growth stages, and can progress rapidly, causing tiller lodging and collapse. It can spread from tiller to tiller within a rice field. Growers commonly rotate rice with soybeans, which can also carry the disease, known in soybeans as aerial web blight.

Sercadis fungicide contains the active ingredient Xemium® fungicide. It provides consistent performance and longer-lasting disease control. Xemium fungicide is also an active ingredient in Merivon® fungicide for specialty crops and Priaxor® fungicide for corn and soybean crops.

BASF Fungicide Label Expansions

Other fungicides in the BASF portfolio received expanded labels. Priaxor fungicide is now labeled for sorghum and sugarcane. Merivon fungicide’s label was expanded for use on tree nuts; including almonds, pistachios and walnuts; strawberries; select vegetables; and pome and stone fruits.

Priaxor fungicide, which provides another mode of action for row crops, delivers continuous protection and consistent performance against a broad spectrum of diseases. Growers can apply Priaxor fungicide to their soybean acres, as well as corn acres, early in the season, pre-tassel. Merivon fungicide provides long-lasting and consistent protection against detrimental diseases in specialty crops.

“As an industry leader, BASF is dedicated to providing resistance management solutions, technical support and educational tools to growers,” said Reeves. “Sercadis fungicide will be another tool available to help growers get the most out of every acre.”