Foliar fungicide approved against blackleg in canola

BASF's foliar fungicide Headline will get a longer label this season covering its use in Prairie canola crops to prevent or control blackleg.

The company on Thursday announced approval from Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency for the expanded use of the Group 11 pyraclostrobin fungicide.

For preventive use against early-season blackleg, Headline can be tank-mixed with "all canola herbicide systems" and applied before the appearance of the disease's symptoms, Mississauga-based BASF Canada said.

Headline can also be used as a "complement" to sclerotinia protection, the company said.

An early-season application of Headline to control blackleg, then an application of Group 7 boscalid fungicide Lance at the 20 to 50 per cent bloom stage to control sclerotinia, "will provide the best possible protection against two key diseases in canola," BASF technical specialist Glen Forster said in a release Thursday.

BASF markets a separate pyraclostrobin and boscalid combination under the name Headline Duo, approved only against ascochyta blight in chickpeas.

On its own, Headline is already registered for disease control in cereals, lentils, field peas, dry beans, corn, flax, sunflower and potatoes, among other crops.

The company recently began promoting Headline with a new program dubbed "AgCelence" in which it cites its four years of product trials on canola and touts increased yields from the fungicide's use.

"When plants are not challenged by disease, they are able to grow more efficiently and tolerate short periods of cold, heat and drought," Mark Kuchuran, BASF Canada's brand manager for fungicides, said in the same release.