New active substance, isoflucypram, has been given regulatory approval – the first fungicide to be approved by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) post-Brexit.
The AI from Bayer was simultaneously approved alongside Vimoy – the first product to contain the new fungicide.
Bayer’s Rosalind O’Hare says isoflucypram will be marketed as ‘Iblon’. “Iblon is a fungicide that delivers unrivalled broad-spectrum activity against the main foliar diseases of wheat including yellow rust, Septoria tritici and brown rust, while providing useful activity against stem-based diseases such as eyespot,” she says.
Product development
New product Vimoy will be available in a co-pack with Proline (prothioconazole) called ‘ion iblon’. The inclusion of Proline supports its broad-spectrum activity while adding a second mode of action for resistance management.
“Bayer has drawn on more than 40 years of research and development expertise in the creation of isoflucypram,” explains Rosalind. “A significant factor in its performance is the N-cyclopropyl ring at the centre of molecule’s structure. This addition enhances the intrinsic activity and supports its broad-spectrum effectiveness.
“It’s demonstrated strong persistent protection and curative activity against both septoria and yellow rust and is active at all stages of the pathogen lifecycle,” she adds.
Iblon also delivers protection against brown rust and activity against both the W and R types of eyespot. In combination with Proline, its activity against eyespot is further improved and its spectrum of activity extended to include fusarium and mildew.
Extended green leaf area retention
Research conducted by the University of Reading found that with Iblon, for every day past crop flowering, green leaf area is maintained at 37% or above and wheat yield accumulates by up to 0.15t/ha.
“Prolonging green leaf retention for longer has been shown to significantly benefit yield. A 2019 ADAS trial found Iblon applied at T2 prolonged green leaf area retention above the 37% threshold for eight days over the untreated and three days over Ascra Xpro (bixafen+ fluopyram).
“This resulted in a yield gain of 1.31t/ha over untreated and 0.46t/ha over Ascra Xpro,” explains Rosalind.
Industry support
ADAS’s Jonathan Blake says the flexibility to use Iblon against either rust or septoria depending on the season will be appreciated. “It’s a more active SDHI on septoria than existing standards, and the flexibility it will add to programmes will make it a valuable addition at either the T1 or T2 timing,” he says.
Frontier’s Dr Paul Fogg says what really stood out this year was that it was a season of two halves, septoria early on and then yellow rust. “It is not an ‘either/or’ product. It’s always performed at a good level, but this year on varieties that require a high level of input, Iblon looked to be a real stand-out solution ahead of the 2024 season.
