Life Scientific has launched the first off-patent prothioconazole and tebuconazole mixtures, Oraso Pro and Esker, to the UK market. This follows the successful launch of its first off-patent prothioconazole fungicide, Aurelia, earlier this year.
Oraso Pro contains 125g/lit prothioconazole and 125g/lit tebuconazole, while Esker contains 160g/lit prothioconazole and 80g/lit tebuconazole.
Both are broad spectrum systemic fungicides with erradicant and protectant activity for use in winter and spring crops of wheat, barley, oats, oilseed rape and rye.
“This is in line with the activity of their reference products, Prosaro and Kestrel respectively,” Life Scientific’s UK technical manager, Ruth Stanley, said.
Life Scientific is able to offer off-patent products to agronomists and growers faster than any other company based on its unique scientific concept to reverse engineer a product from the original so that it is accepted as the same by the regulatory authority.
“This is what we did with Aurelia back in February, and have now done with Esker and Oraso Pro,” Mrs Stanley added. “We’re delighted that we’re in a position to bring more product choice to the UK market as we come into the key cereal fungicide spray timings.”
As systemic fungicides, Oraso Pro and Esker provide control of powdery mildew, septoria, glume blotch, yellow and brown rusts and tan spot in all varieties of wheat, barley, oats and winter rye.
They’ve also both been proven to reduce the severity and incidence of eyespot in wheats, rye and oats.
Orsao Pro and Esker also control powdery mildew, brown rust and Rhyncosporium in rye. In winter and spring oats crown rust and powdery mildew are controlled.
Mrs Stanley said that Oraso Pro will be best targeted where rusts are an issue.
“With a lot of later-drilled wheat crops in the ground this season, yellow rust is proving to be a problem, particularly on the more susceptible varieties such as Skyfall that only has a resistance of rating of 5,” she added. “In these situations, the higher rate of tebuconazole in Oraso Pro will provide the best activity on rust.
“However, varieties with higher rust resistant scores and low septoria resistance scores, such as LG Skyscraper, or those that were drilled early, are more likely to be at risk from septoria, and in these situations Esker would be the obvious choice with its higher rate of prothioconazole.”
Looking further ahead, Mrs Stanley said that both fungicides were effective at T3 for reducing sooty moulds, DON (deoxynivalenol) and provide moderate control of Fusarium. She also underlined the importance of using mixes such as Esker and Oraso Pro within a resistance strategy, and also to support additional fungicides such as SDHI’s in the mix.
Esker and Oraso Pro are available through Life Scientific’s distribution partners, ProCam and Hutchinsons.
For more information visit: www.lifescientific.com.
