In a class of its own: Revystar® XE - five years on
28.03.2024
In a recent article with CPM, we spoke to Kent farmer Richard Budd to find out more about his experience with Revystar® XE, having first used it as part of pre-commercial launch trials, nearly 6-years ago.
Our rotation is a result of farming on Wadhurst clay which we’ve chosen to direct drill for the past decade or so, currently using Sumo DTS and DD direct disc drills. We chop all straw and return residues to the soil as well as applying a lot of organic manures and digestates,” he says.
It was being a part of BASF’s Real Results Circle from the beginning which meant Richard was given early doors access to Revystar XE. “I always take the hype surrounding a new product with a pinch of salt but with Revystar XE, it actually worked.
“During this initial trial I applied it to a block of winter wheat which tends to senesce early down here due to our location in Kent. Having applied Revystar XE, it was noticeable that the crop stayed greener for longer which translated positively in yield,” he explains.
Richard recalls that around a similar time, he felt as though fungicide options were dwindling and resistance management was becoming a greater conundrum. “But all of a sudden we had Revystar XE and the results could be seen with your own eyes, plus, backed by official ADAS trial data which is important.”
In terms of disease pressure at Stevens Farm, Richard says he’d always been under the impression that septoria wasn’t a problem. However, having conducted leaf tissue analysis, he was proven wrong. “The results showed that latent septoria was present, so I believe the disease is far more widespread than currently understood.”
He’s also seen a shift in climatic conditions as Kent becomes more unsettled, further increasing the risk of septoria and overall disease pressure. With risk on the rise, Richard stresses the importance of plant genetics in preserving vital chemistry such as Revystar XE. “The answer will never lie in a can, so it’s important to make careful varietal choices.
“It’s taking this hand-in-hand approach between genetics and chemistry which will help to preserve the plant protection toolbox and avoid abusing what we have,” he says. “This is vital because we have to avoid yield robbing latent septoria.”
Because seeing is believing, Richard has now made Revystar XE a consistent part of his fungicide programmes across the farm. And following the loss of chlorothalonil (CTL), he says more pressure is on effective T1 sprays. “T0s can be difficult to get right now there’s no CTL. Also, having flexibility on timings due to the Xemium aspect of Revystar XE means the application window is slightly wider, which is particularly useful when leaf layer emergence isn’t consistent.
“Revystar XE is a building block for me –– in high disease pressure years with dirty varieties we use it at T1, otherwise it’s my go-to for T2. In really difficult years we’ll use it at both timings,” he concludes.
Read the full article below.
