Seeing is believing – Vegetable Innovation Days bring BASF pipeline into focus

On the 9th and 10th of October, across Lincolnshire, seed breeders and crop protection manufacturers showcased their portfolios.

We have been participating for well over a decade and over that time we’ve had early and late seasons, as well as wet years and dry. Many attendees come year after year, and the knowledge they accumulate helps to optimise the use of existing technologies, and ensures the industry has a body of knowledge to draw upon when new innovations become available.

This year, BASF’s portfolio was demonstrated in cauliflowers, cabbages, and Brussels sprouts.

Due to their sensitivity, cauliflowers were the ideal candidate to showcase a new herbicide and proved it to be kinder than alternatives in the marketplace, both alone and in tank-mixes.

Another new product on the horizon (subject to approval), showed its value in controlling aphids in Brussels sprouts. The trial, run by the Allium and Brassica Centre, tested its efficacy it's real-world conditions, putting the product through its paces as part of integrated programmes. It was particularly interesting to see how it performed when used alongside other new products, as well as those already in the marketplace.

While these solutions are in the pipeline, Perseus is already making its mark in the marketplace.

The head cabbage plots were planted early, as this tends to encourage disease development and make it easier to see differences between treatments. While disease symptoms were less severe than in recent years, those crops which received an application of Perseus were visually better, producing larger, more consistent head sizes than those that received other commercial treatments.

Typically, greening effects are associated with strobilurin and SDHI chemistries, so, for some growers and agronomists, seeing improved aesthetics from our new Revysol- based product was a pleasant surprise. This observation often served as a catalyst for discussing other advantages of the potential new product.

Like Perseus, this new fungicide (subject to approval) is likely to become an invaluable tool for growers and agronomists, not just because it offers improved disease control, but also because it protects other chemistry within the programme.

As we concluded this year's Brassica Innovation Days, it was clear that the agricultural industry continues to face numerous challenges. Despite these difficulties, it is heartening to see a pipeline filled with formulations that have the potential to make a meaningful impact on brassica production in the UK.