The U.S. Environment Protection Agency has issued a Section 18 Emergency Exemption label for BASF’s new Provysol fungicide for control of Cercospora leaf spot in sugarbeets. The label is for Michigan and parts of Minnesota and North Dakota.

“This Section 18 Emergency Exemption has been granted as the result of the looming threat of CLS,” says Mike Metzger, vice president of agriculture and research, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, Wahpeton, N.D. “Heavy pressure of CLS is expected for the 2019 sugarbeet growing season.”

What it is

Provysol is a new group 3 demethylation inhibitors fungicide. It has uniquely different activity than other Triazole fungicides and it provides longer residual and stronger activity on CLS than other DMIs on the market today, the company claims.

Provysol may be applied by ground or air equipment at a rate of 5 fluid ounces of product per acre. A maximum of two applications may be made. No more than 10 fluid ounces of product per acre may be applied per year. A retreatment interval of a minimum of 14 days must be observed.

A 12-hour restricted entry interval and a 21-day pre-harvest interval must be observed. No grazing or feeding of treated crop may take place within 21 days following application. Any unused product must be returned to the distributor or BASF Corporation after Sept. 25.

Where it can be used

The label allows Provysol to be used in:

Minn-Dak recommends that Provysol be used in the second fungicide application of the year. Farmers spray sugarbeets about every seven to 14 days to protect new leaves from CLS. But they use different product combinations each time.

“We want our best product in the heat of the battle,” Metzger says. “Think of it like a batting lineup for baseball. I'm a huge Minnesota Twins fan. We used to have Joe Mauer. You don't put Joe Mauer first in the lineup. You send him second or third because he's the one that's going to be most effective. That's the same thing we're doing with Provysol.”