Published on 23/11/2023
But when it comes to fungicide stewardship, safeguarding a relatively new mode of action, and making it simpler for distributors and end users to do the same, outweighs shorter-term priorities.
Which is why, for the first time ever in the local market, a well-regarded Corteva Agriscience fungicide will come co-packed this season with another fungicide with a different mode of action, from a different supplier.
As of later this month, Corteva’s Zorvec Enicade (Group 49), a foundational fungicide for control of downy mildew in onions, will only be sold in a box set with Ranman 400SC (Group 21), from UPL.
Corteva marketing manager Glen Surgenor agrees sourcing a co-pack product from a competitor is an unusual step.
But it aligns perfectly with Corteva’s global strategy to enhance resistance management for Zorvec Enicade.
“We’re trying to protect the long term efficacy of this product by making sure it is sold and applied with a different MOA at the same time.
“Awareness of resistance is increasing among farmers and growers, but we as suppliers need to be proactive as well, and defend our products in the market so they don’t develop resistance.”
Launched to New Zealand growers in 2016, and widely adopted for its exceptional control of downy mildew in onions, Zorvec Enicade has up until now been sold as a solo product, with a clear label mandate saying it must be applied with a different MOA to reduce the risk of resistance.
Surgenor says Corteva started looking for a suitable co-pack active and formulation right after Zorvec Enicade was launched here, and it’s taken that long to come to fruition.
“We started working on this in 2017, and began our first local trials in 2018. We looked first at the global stable of Corteva products, to see if there was anything already registered here that was suitable, but there wasn’t.
“So then it was a matter of finding the right partner and the right product. We needed something that was available in NZ, registered for the same use, and also a product we could demonstrate was effective on its own and in combination with Zorvec.”
It wasn’t straightforward, but the final outcome is good for the NZ market, he says.
Response from the industry has been positive, albeit with some initial questions.
“A lot of our distribution partners have used Zorvec Enicade with their growers for several seasons, and the first thing they want to know is why would we do this? Once they understand our reasoning, and go through the trial work, however, the move has been well supported.”
The onion market is not a big one, and Corteva’s return on investment in making this move will not be substantial, Surgenor says.
“But that was not our motivation for doing this. We had launched a new product, and we wanted to make sure it would be here for many years to come in that industry.”
The co-pack will be sold by Corteva and each pack contains a five litre container of Zorvec Enicade, and a five litre container of Ranman. Use rates are the same for both (200 mL/ha), simplifying mixing and application.
For more detail contact your Corteva territory sales manager.