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Syngenta provides sustainable solutions for protecting rice in Portugal
May. 7, 2019
Syngenta recently launched Rifit, the herbicide from a new chemical family for managing difficult weeds that affect rice cultivation. It also launched Amistar Top, a fungicide that controls two major diseases affecting rice paddies, Piriculariose and Helminthosporium.Syngenta's new products were presented at Alcácer do Sal, Portugal on April 10 to 100 rice producers and technicians from rice production companies from various regions, who discussed problems related to phytosanitary affecting rice crops.
Weeds that worry rice farmers
Weeds that are of concern to rice farmers the most are arroz bravo, mule ear, heteranthera and sedges, which all cause significant crop losses, as they compete with rice for nutrients, soil and water, leading to lower quality product when appropriate products are not used properly to eliminate weeds.
Rifit: Solution to control difficult weeds
Rifit, the outcome of Syngenta's research, is a selective residual herbicide with a new method of action that controls major weeds, including those that are difficult to eliminate. It is formulated with a new active substance from Europe designed for use on rice, pretilachlor, which controls weeds in highly sensitive crops. The product should be applied post-emergence at a dose of 2 liters per hectare on moist soil, which should be flooded as soon as possible after application.
New chemical family: K3 Group
Rifit, which belongs to a new chemical family, K3, has never been used previously on rice in Portugal, as an interesting solution for controlling weeds. It is advisable to alternate herbicides from different chemical groups to prevent resistance of weeds, a phenomenon increasingly reported by Portuguese rice farmers.
“Around 74% of herbicides used on rice in Portugal belong to chemical groups A and B, to which some weeds have already developed resistance. Rifit is a good addition to any anti-resistance strategy, if used alternatively with herbicides from other chemical families,” explained Gilberto Lopes, Syngenta's field expert.
Leaf diseases in rice
Foliar diseases caused by fungi, especially Piriculariose and Helminthosporium, affect all areas of rice production. “In 2018, rice producers in Tagus-Sorraia registered losses of around 40% to 50% of their crops, due mainly to fungal attacks,” said Vítor Rouxinol, who is a consultant and rice producer with 5,000 hectares of land in the region.
In his opinion, new varieties of rice currently cultivated in Portugal and more intensive cultural practices, such as high sowing density and excessive fertilization, when combined with favorable climatic conditions, have made rice crops more susceptible to foliar diseases. “Piriculariose and Helminthosporium were previously a limited problem in Mondego, but in the previous year, they were a major issue throughout the country. In 2018, cases of fungal diseases increased so rapidly that rice farmers were not able to react proactively, therefore, losing much of their crops,” he added.
Relevance of preventive fungicide treatments
Syngenta’s new product, Amistar Top, is a systemic fungicide renowned for its preventive action. It is formulated into a ready mix based on azoxystrobin (200 grams per liter) and difenoconazole (125 grams per liter) with two distinct modes of action, which act together to control most types of fungi affecting rice crops, such as Piriculariosis and Helmintosporiosis. It is the only fungicide specially created for rice cultivation in Portugal that combines active substances from two different chemical families, making it ideal for combating resistance.
Amistar Top should be applied preventively at the start of the period when rice is susceptible to diseases, at the rate of one liter per hectare, a maximum of two applications per year, and a minimum interval of 14 days between applications. The fungicide keeps the leaves of rice green for longer periods, avoiding the rapid senescence of a plant’s aerial part, and increasing the specific weight of individual grains and the industrial yield of rice crops.
"Both Rifit and Amistar Top are part of Syngenta's strategy to provide the most advanced technologies to rice producers. Rifit is a milestone in controlling resistant weeds, due to its formulation and residual effect that begins at the primary stages of crop production, preventing crops from competing for nutrients with weeds. Amistar Top is the only foliar application fungicide with two different and complementary modes of action. Controlling cryptogrammic fungi not only requires the use of effective chemicals, but also a sustainable strategy that prevents resistance. Amistar Top provides farmers with a present and future solution for reaching the full productive potential of their rice crops,” Miguel Clavijo (Manager of Portfolio Solutions for Extensive Crops of Syngenta in the Iberian Peninsula), said in conclusion.
Source: Marketing Agrícola
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