North Carolina: Few states can boast as diverse an array of crops as North Carolina. With this diversity comes the challenge of managing weed and pest pressures across multiple crop programs. For growers in the Southeast, products that are flexible across multiple cropping systems and effective against multiple weed species and disease complexes are essential to ensuring crop success.

During the 2015 season, the Syngenta Grow More Experience Site in Kinston provided a real-world environment where we demonstrated both the flexibility and efficacy of a wide range of Syngenta products.

A harder-working, longer-lasting fungicide

The spring wheat crop gave me a first glimpse of the control Trivapro™ fungicide provides against diseases like powdery mildew and Septoria, that were present at the site. We had periods of heavy rainfall in May — in just one weekend, we received seven inches. Those conditions compounded the disease pressure and helped us see how Trivapro helps crops stand up to harsh environments.

Trivapro is labeled for use in corn, soybeans and wheat, and it contains three unique active ingredients: azoxystrobin, propiconazole and Solatenol^® fungicide — a powerful new SDHI technology that binds to the waxy layer of the plant for increased residual control.

In addition to being deployed as an active ingredient in Trivapro, Solatenol is an active ingredient in three additional fungicides for use in other crops. Two of these fungicides, Aprovia^® Top, labeled for the cucurbit and fruiting vegetable family of crops, and Elatus^®, developed for the peanut and potato markets — were also showcased at the site.

Grow More Experience Site wheat plots demonstrated the benefits of Syngenta seed treatments, AgriPro^® wheat varieties, Trivapro and Quilt Xcel^® fungicides, Palisade^® EC plant growth regulator and Syngenta herbicides

An additional mode of action for control of Oomycete diseases

North Carolina’s heritage has strong ties to both tobacco and the pickling industry. In tobacco, black shank is among the most destructive and difficult-to-manage diseases. For cucumber growers, the use of multiple modes of action to control downy mildew is imperative. That’s why I was excited to observe the performance of Orondis^® fungicide, with the active ingredient oxathiapiprolin. It’s a new class of chemistry, and it’s effective on the downy mildews, as well as soil-borne and foliar Phytophthora species, such as late blight.

As the only active ingredient in FRAC Group U15, oxathiapiprolin is not cross-resistant to any other fungicide; it offers built-in resistance management when incorporated in a season-long Oomycete disease control program. Since it’s labeled for use in fruiting vegetables, cucurbit vegetables and leafy vegetables — as well as onions, potatoes and tobacco — its cropping flexibility is remarkable.

Visitors witnessed the efficacy of Orondis^® Ridomil Gold^® SL fungicide, which combines the power of Orondis and Ridomil Gold^® fungicides, on black shank. We saw how Orondis Ridomil Gold SL offers preventive, systemic and residual control of black shank — protecting the crop at its most active growth stages — and we were very excited to observe the length of residual.

Visitors also saw the benefits of Orondis^® Opti fungicide, a combination of Orondis and Bravo Weather Stik^® fungicide, in cucurbits.

A step change in weed management

For corn growers nationwide, the introduction of Acuron^® corn herbicide was met with much anticipation. The North Carolina market was no exception. We’re really excited about Acuron corn herbicide because it brings activity to more than 70 troublesome weeds and broadens the spectrum of weed control growers need.

Morningglory is one of the toughest weeds Southeastern corn growers can face. Fortunately, morningglory is among the tough weeds that Acuron corn herbicide controls, as can be seen in the photo above.

I expect there will much more to report from Kinston in 2016. Stay tuned to KnowMoreGrowMore.com and sign up for the “Know More, Grow More Digest” to receive the latest updates in your inbox.

Submitted by Ken Teeter, Syngenta agronomic service representative

All photos are the property of Syngenta unless otherwise noted.

©2016 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some crop protection products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Acuron is a Restricted Use Pesticide.

Orondis Ridomil Gold is a combination of separately registered products: Orondis Gold 200 and Ridomil Gold SL fungicides. Orondis Opti is a combination of separately registered products: Orondis Opti A and Orondis Opti B fungicides.

Trivapro is sold as a combination of separately registered products: Trivapro A and Trivapro B fungicides.

Acuron^®, AgriPro^®, Aprovia^™, Bravo Weather Stik^®, Elatus^™, Orondis^®, Palisade^®, Quilt Xcel^®, Ridomil Gold^®, Solatenol^®, Trivapro™ are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.