BASF launches fungicide Perseus in UK

BASF are launching a new multipurpose fungicide for speciality crops – Perseus. Perseus contains two highly effective fungicides: 75 g/litre of fluxapyroxad (Xemium) and 50 g/litre of difenoconazole formulated as a suspension concentrate. Fluxapyroxad is a new SDHI fungicide with broad spectrum activity and difenoconazole is a well-known triazole fungicide with excellent selectivity in speciality crops.
 

Robert Storer of BASF explains that Perseus has activity on Powdery Mildew, Alternaria (Light and Dark Leaf Spot), Mycosphaerella (ringspot) and Sclerotinia, so most of the key diseases in vegetables, and has label recommendations for lettuce, potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts. Potential EAMUs are leeks, spring onions, root and tuber vegetables, herbs, spinach and baby leaf crops. “This potentially long list of crops should lead growers to keep Perseus in the spray shed for every season,” says Rob.
 

Harvest intervals are three days for potatoes, seven days for carrots, peas and artichokes and 14 days for cabbages, spring onions and lettuce. Growers can apply three applications of Perseus to the brassica crop, one to lettuce, four to potatoes and two to carrots. Its dose rates are 0.6 l/ha for powdery mildew control, 1 l/ha for Alternaria and Mycosphaerella and 2 l/ha for Sclerotinia.
 

In terms of mobility, Perseus has excellent contact, translaminar activity plus apical activity and movement to protect new growth. It also shows good redistribution after rewetting and it has one hour’s rainfastness.
 

In terms of activity it shows good persistent control compared to other competitor fungicides.
 

In field trials for the control of powdery mildew in carrots, the untreated area had 15% severity of attack but Perseus reduced this to 4%. For Alternaria control in carrots the untreated had 24% disease severity but Perseus reduced this to 5%, better than the other competitive fungicides. In cabbages where the untreated suffered 18% ringspot Perseus gave the best treatment reducing it to just 8%. In Brussels sprouts, the untreated had 14.7% severity of Mycosphaerella but Perseus reduced this to 1.1% and in other trials sprot crop had 12.5% Alternaria, with Perseus reducing this to 0.9%. In cabbages with 22% Alternaria this new fungicide reduced disease to less than 1%. “Reporting on all these trials demonstrates the excellent efficacy of Perseus, its broad-spectrum activity and its superior activity over competitor fungicides,” says Robert Storer.
 

Rob says that the combination of the two complementary active ingredients means excellent efficacy as well as inbuilt resistance management, leading to maximum yield, quality and profitability for growers. Its rapid uptake and mobility means excellent efficacy, local systemicity and rainfastness, maximising the spray window. Its long lasting protectant activity means robust field performance so Perseus can be relied upon as a key part of the spray programme during long seasons.”