Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
May 14, 2012
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issues emergency exemption label citing lack of effective treatment alternatives
Louisiana rice growers who have discovered resistant sheath blight in their production fields will have emergency access to Sercadis™ fungicide to fight this burgeoning threat to yields and crop quality.
The State of Louisiana received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for emergency use of Sercadis because there are currently no other alternatives for effective control. Such Section 18 labels are granted to states where problems can be clearly identified within a specified geography, where there are no other alternatives for control and where there is a significant risk of major economic damage.1
Resistant sheath blight has created these conditions in southern Louisiana. Louisiana State University’s AgCenter refers to the current outbreak of sheath blight as “the most economically significant in Louisiana rice production since the early 1970s.”2 Sheath blight typically infects the culms at the water line between the late tillering and joint elongation growth stages, and can progress rapidly, causing tiller lodging and collapse.
Sheath blight can spread from tiller to tiller within a rice field. Farmers commonly rotate rice with soybeans, which can also carry the disease, known in soybeans as aerial web blight.
Under the emergency exemption, Louisiana growers will be able to obtain Sercadis fungicide at specific retail locations that are near the area where resistance is identified. Supplies are limited. For information on how to purchase Sercadis, visit www.sercadis-fungicide.basf.us.
“BASF is determined to help Louisiana growers solve this pressing problem with a solution that has been researched,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF.
“BASF was happy to share its research data with officials from Louisiana to help them fight this disease,” Rea said. “It is innovative products like Sercadis that will help protect yields from tough diseases for rice farmers throughout the region in the years to come.”
As an industry leader, BASF is dedicated to providing resistance-management solutions, technical support and educational tools to help growers implement disease management program based on best practices.
“Sercadis provides an optimized formulation of a carboxamide fungicide, providing both disease control and preventive benefits in rice, while combating sheath blight with a new mode of action,” said Brianne Reeves, Technical Market Specialist, BASF.
Sercadis contains Xemium® fungicide, a new active ingredient in the carboxamide family. Xemium also is the active ingredient in two new products—Merivon® fungicide and Priaxor™ fungicide—which recently received registration by the U.S. EPA. Priaxor will be used primarily on row crops as well as select specialty crops, such as potatoes and tomatoes. Merivon received registration on specialty fruit crops, specifically pome fruits, such as apples and pears, and stone fruits, including cherries and peaches.
For more information on BASF Crop Protection products, visit http://agproducts.basf.us
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