Syngenta Introduces New Corn Seed Treatment for Pythium Protection
Syngenta has announced that its newest corn seed treatment, Vayantis fungicide, has received registration by the U.S. EPA. A completely new mode of action that represents one of the most intrinsically active compounds ever developed to protect corn from Pythium, Vayantis will be available in select areas for the 2021 growing season, with a full rollout for 2022 planting. Vayantis contains the active ingredient picarbutrazox, a completely new systemic fungicide seed treatment developed to protect seedlings from key blight and damping-off diseases, such as Pythium and Phytophthora, in many different crops with the first registrations occurring in corn and soybeans.
“Pythium is the No. 1 seedling disease threat for corn, causing more damage than Fusarium and Rhizoctonia seedling diseases combined,” said Dale Ireland, Ph.D., technical product lead for Syngenta Seedcare. “With Vayantis we are thrilled to give growers another tool to help them combat Pythium and protect their crops. By providing this unmatched disease protection, Vayantis helps increase potential yield by an average of 2 bushels per acre (bu/A) on the broad acre and 4 to 6 bu/A in moderate to high pressure situations, compared to other seed treatments.”
Pythium poses a great risk for U.S. corn growers. More than 50 known Pythium species commonly infest U.S. soil, resulting in damping off — the leading cause of yield loss in corn — as well as reduced plant stands, lower plant populations and reduced yield potential. Additionally, growing trends, such as planting earlier into cool wet soil and reduced and no-till situations as well as increased use of cover crops, increase the risk of Pythium presence and infection.
Protecting crops from Pythium is critical because once a seedling’s early growth and development are lost, they may never be regained, driving scientists and growers to increasingly call for more Pythium protection options.
“Low stands or poor development of crop plants is, unfortunately, a common occurrence for fields that were planted in many regions of Ohio with heavy soil or poorly drained soil,” said Anne Dorrance, Ph.D., Soybean Extension Plant Pathologist at The Ohio State University. “For management, improving soil drainage and having at least two active ingredients in the seed treatment mixture targeting water molds are necessary for the challenging areas in Ohio that have a history of replanting.”
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