AgroPages-Bayer releases China’s first dry rice seed treatment product, Routine Start-Agricultural news

Bayer CropScience launched the first dry rice seed treatment product Routine Start (6.9% trifloxystrobin + 17.2% isotianil) in the Chinese market. According to Bayer, Routine Start is the first dry rice seed treatment product for Chinese market for the control of rice blast disease, also being effective in the control of rice bakanae disease. The product has the advantage of soaking without fall off and losses. In the meantime, the product is the first seed treatment product that uses induced systemic resistance, which can enhance the resistance of rice to the adverse environment immediately after sowing.

One of the active ingredients of Routine Start is isotianil, which is a novel thiazole fungicide. It is of strong plant induced activity and can be applied for preventive purposes or be used in early phases of diseases, which will stimulate plants’ defensive reactions and induce the systemic resistance of plants, thus enhancing the enzymatic activity, strengthening the resistance of plant cells against pathogens, while increasing pathogenesis-related protein accumulation and facilitating secretion of phytoalexin. Accordingly, crops are enabled to protect themselves against various kinds of fungus, bacteria and viruses. After seed rice is treated by the product, a long-lasting protection effect is acquired. In the course of growth, the number of pesticide applications can be reduced. Moreover, rice root system growth is enhanced, and tiller number and panicles are increased, which will improve seed setting rate.

Routine Start has a dry seed coating, which is directly dry dressed. The coating will not cause the additional reduction of germination rates of seed rice, where the germination rate of treated seeds in storage over a period of time under normal conditions is still quite high. Another advantage of Routine Start versus other seed treatment products lies in its advanced film-forming agent, which ensures the agent being locked without losses after seed rice is treated and soaked. This will fulfill the needs of different kinds of sowing.

Routine Start has been introduced in important rice production countries, such as Malaysia, Japan and Vietnam, where Bayer has received positive feedback from farmers regarding yield results and convenience.