Sugar beet growers have just one season left with a key fungicide used for the effective control of costly diseases such as powdery mildew and cercospora leaf spot.

The Chemical Regulation Directorate has confirmed that cyproconazole-containing products cannot be sold after the end of November 2021.

This gives growers until the end of November 2022 to use up all stocks of Bayer’s broad-spectrum sugar beet fungicide, Escolta (cyproconazole + trifloxystrobin) and other cyproconazole-containing products.

See also: Are growers paying too much for sugar beet weed control?

Cyproconazole is also available with penthiopyrad for use in oats and with azoxystrobin for use in certain cereals, oilseed rape and beet crops.

This will be a blow for growers given the role of cyproconazole in protecting sugar beet crops against rust and powdery mildew, says Bayer.

“Escolta remains the best-performing fungicide available for protecting crops against the dominant disease threats, powdery mildew and rust, as well as providing strong control of cercospora leaf spot,” says Lizzie Carr-Archer, root crop product manager for Bayer.

“Growers have until 30 November 2022 to use up or dispose of all stocks of Escolta and other products containing cyproconazole, so should calculate their requirements carefully to avoid being left with unused stock to be disposed of after the 2022 season.”

Bayer has been working on a product to replace Escolta for many years and hopes to receive regulatory authorisation for Caligula (fluopyram + prothioconazole) ahead of the 2022 season.