Polyversum, a biological fungicide based on a strain of Pythium Oligandrum M1, is newly available for the UK market through Russell Bio.
Registered for use in cereals, including oats, rye, durum wheat and triticale, it can be used to control a range of foliar diseases, soil-borne pathogens and fusarium head blight. In oilseed rape, it is registered for use against blackleg and sclerotinia.
In cereals, it can be applied anywhere between T0 and T3 applications, with a limit of two applications in cereals and three in OSR. Polyversum is also approved for use in organic systems by OF&G, and carries no risk of resistance build up, and no PHI.
Available in powder form, applied at a rate of 0.1kg/ha, highly stable oospores are activated when mixed with water, combatting disease through two unique modes of action; mycoparasitism and supporting production of growth phytohormones.
Data from 2021 wheat trials conducted in the Czech Republic demonstrates more than a 50% reduction in fusarium sp. disease severity on the ear, when applied at 0.1kg/ha, compared to the control, with an increase in yield of 13%.
