Growing resistance in some Western Canadian pulse crops has prompted the development of a new fungicide earmarked for a 2024 release.
Reports of Group 11 resistance starting in 2019 caused BASF Canada to “pivot” its strategy around RevyPro, billed by the company as “Designed in Western Canada for Western Canadian growers.”
“Group 11 resistance has been found across lentils and field pea fields across the Prairies, including Alberta,” said Bethany Wyatt, technical marketing specialist — fungicides at BASF, in an email statement.
Read Also
Farming Smarter receives financial boost from Alberta government for potato research
Farming Smarter near Lethbridge got a boost to its research equipment, thanks to the Alberta government’s increase in funding for research associations.
“Group 11 resistance leads to a decrease of performance of Group 11-based products. Products that performed well in the past might not protect crops as well as before. If not managed properly it can develop and lead to significant yield losses.”
Revysol is a proprietary active ingredient developed in recent years by BASF. It contains the broad-spectrum antifungal agent Mefentrifluconazole.
BASF claims its FRAC Group 3 mode of action allows it to bind to the pathogen more powerfully than conventional triazole fungicides. (FRAC stands for Fungicide Resistance Action Committee.)
According to the company, RevyPro is effective on all major pulse diseases in Western Canada.
However, it highlights its efficacy on early season diseases such as Mycosphaerella blight (the most common disease of field peas in Western Canada), Anthracnose in lentils and dry bean, and Ascochyta blight and white mould in all pulses.
“It also protects lentils, chickpeas and faba beans against grey mould/chocolate spot and field peas against powdery mildew,” said Wyatt.
RevyPro has been tested on field peas, lentils, chickpeas and faba beans on BASF research farms in Edmonton and Lethbridge, Vanscoy, Saskatchewan and Winkler, Manitoba.
“This solution was developed specifically for this market and has proven performance on major pulse diseases regardless of a pathogen’s resistance status,” said Sylvain Mialon, brand manager, fungicides, cereals and pulses at BASF.
“In results we have seen consistent yield improvements,” added Wyatt.
The Revysol AI has unique characteristics, said the company, including the flexibility to conform and bind strongly to pathogens and pathogen mutations. This, BASF claims, makes it appropriate for both curative and preventative activity.
“It provides broader, longer and stronger efficacy on pulse diseases,” said Wyatt.
Another Revysol-based product — Veltyma — was registered in 2021 for corn, wheat and potatoes, including Group 3 resistant biotypes.
Producers will get to see RevyPro in action through a series of tours taking place this summer. BASF encourages farmers to contact their local BASF or retail representative to find out where and when these tours are taking place.
