Quell Flo successfully re-registered

Interfarm UK Ltd is pleased to announce that Quell Flo has been successfully re-registered by the Chemical Regulation Directorate. Quell Flo, containing 455g/l mancozeb, will continue to be available as a multi-site protectant fungicide for use in winter wheat, spring wheat and in potatoes.

"This is good news for both wheat and potato growers, as both these important crops are at high risk of disease resistance and, unlike many of the newest cereal fungicides, mancozeb acts at six different locations within the fungal cell, hence its multi-site activity. In practical terms this means that the likelihood of resistance development is minimised and makes mancozeb an essential component in cereal and potato disease programmes," says Dr. David Stormonth, Technical Manager for Interfarm UK Ltd.

Importantly, as confirmed by the new efficacy data generated for this re-registration, the disease spectrum controlled by Quell extends beyond Septoria protection to include the control of rusts, powdery mildew and ear diseases in wheat. "In wheat Septoria is always the top target disease every year and this year there is a high percentage of crops in the ground that is very susceptible to rusts. With this disease pressure the inclusion of Quell Flo early in the programme at T0 or T1 makes a lot of sense. Usually treatments at these timings are based around a triazole plus a multi-site protectant fungicide, such as mancozeb or chlorothalonil," says Dr. Stormonth.

"In support of Quell, in trials it provided levels of control of Septoria tritici similar to 1.0 L/ha of chlorothalonil. But when it came to yellow rust, Quell Flo gave around 28% control compared to only 18% from chlorothalonil and for brown rust Quell gave 27% compared with chlorothalonil at just 7% control. Quell Flo also gave better control of mildew, 57% compared with 21% for chlorothalonil. This new data once again shows the broader disease spectrum on wheat than chlorothalonil, confirming that Quell Flo is a significant contender when it comes to mixing with a triazole at T0 and T1 timing. And it won’t interfere with the uptake and action of any other fungicides in a tank mix," David says.

He reminds growers that Quell Flo also provides additional "free" nutritional benefits. "We have had a long, cold winter and wheat crops need perking up now, before the temperatures improve. At a dose rate of 1.5L/ha, Quell Flo delivers 140g/ha of nutritionally available manganese plus 13 gms of zinc, making leaves greener, leading to improved photosynthesis."

"Quell Flo can be used throughout the programme from T0 to T3. The standard dose of 1.5L/ha can be used repeatedly throughout the programme up to the end of flowering with a maximum total crop dose is 9.9L/ha. Quell’s easy-to-use liquid formulation will go down well with busy spray operators trying to treat large areas," he says.

The re-registration of Quell Flo means that growers can continue to integrate an effective multi-site fungicide in their disease programmes and be assured of strong protection against the key diseases and also effective resistance management, concludes Dr Stormonth.