Life in Life Scientific…

December Newsletter

UK News:

It was great to see so many faces, old and new at the CropTec event last month.

Our Tombola was a popular draw and I’m pleased to say so was our conversation. Efficacy specialist Sam Gorny was able to talk through our approach to trials and the exciting new products we’re currently developing. Principle Scientist for product characterisation Rachel Staunton had a couple of days away from the laboratory in Dublin to talk through the processes we go through to ensure all Life Scientific products are comparable to their reference products.

Rachel was able to explain the whole process of reverse engineering and provided visitors with practical examples of the various analysis and testing required for us to be sure the formulations are comparable in every way.

We were also joined by Nicola Mitchell on day one and she was able to spend time speaking to a few of our customers about their views on the future of farming.

Product News:

SUMIR is a selective post emergence herbicide for the control of cleavers and other broad-leaved weeds in winter and spring crops of wheat, barley and oats. It is a reverse engineered Boxer and contains 50 g/l florasulam formulated as an SC.

Sumir has systemic activity and can be absorbed by plant roots, stems and leaves. It interferes with the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids in targeted plants. It has a broad weed-killing spectrum, high activity, and a short residual period.

Sumir can be used in the autumn for controlling volunteer beans in cereal crops. High populations of beans should be controlled in the autumn as they can cause serious crop competition.

For autumn planted crops, a maximum total dose of 3.75g of florasulam must be observed for applications made between crop emergence in the year of planting and February 1st in the year of harvest.

The total amount of florasulam applied to a cereal crop must not exceed 7.5 g

For more product information visit the website :

SUMIR

ADAS Florasulam Trial:

As a company of scientists we love to find solutions, so this autumn we have set up a trial with ADAS to determine how to get the best weed control performance from Sumir containing 50g/l of florasulam.

Sumir can be used in the spring or autumn to control a number of

broad-leaved weeds but we have been asked about choosing the correct dose rate for different species. There is no easy answer as dose rate depends on weed type, growing conditions and weed size so we spoke to ADAS to set some container trials to determine the minimum dose of Sumir needed to control bur chervil, volunteer beans, ivy leaved speedwell and groundsel.

Boxer (50g/l florasulam) and Zypar (5g/l florasulam + 6.25g/l halauxifan-methyl) have been included as commercial comparisons.

Trials are set in 6 litre containers using a specific sterilised loam mix. The treatments are applied to weeds at three different growth stages to determine the minimum required dose rate at each growth stage.

There are a total of 19 treatments in the trial, each product timing and dose rate will have 3 replicates. We will have an untreated control and the following product options:

Sumir:

-0.04l/ha

-0.05l/ha (with and without an adjuvant)

-0.07l/ha

Boxer:

-0.05l/ha

Zypar:

-0.5l/ha

The containers are laid out in the polytunnel until germination and then placed outside to replicate similar weather conditions to field conditions. The ivy leaved speedwell, groundsel and volunteer bean seed were sown week beginning 8th November and germination is expected in 14 days from sowing. The bur chervil is due to be sown on 25th November due to difficulties obtaining seed. The assessments will take place at 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment application.

ADAS will be taking photographs of the different plants and treatments as the trial progresses, so we’ll be including the results in the following newsletters. Watch this space!

Another New EAMU

We’ve some great news for Difenostar, our reverse engineered Plover containing 250 g/l difenconazole.

We’ve been granted an Extension of Authorisation for a minor use of a plant protection product (EAMU).

Difenostar can now be used to control Sclerotinia, Alternaria and Kabitella Lincola in crops of linseed.

It can be applied once per crop up to the end of flowering at a maximum dose rate of 0.5l/ha.

December Newsletter

Life in Life Scientific…

November Newsletter

UK News:

Don’t forget to come and see us at the CropTec event at the East of England Showground this month.

We are exhibiting on stand number 1.31 in hall 1.

UK and IE Country Manager Ruth Stanley will be joined by Efficacy Specialist Sam Gorny and Principle Scientist for product characterisation Rachel Staunton so come and chat to us about the work we do and about our two new products for next spring. Kaskad a reverse engineered Debut for weed control in sugar beet and Sudo Mor our reverse engineered Moddus for plant growth regulation in cereals.

We’ll also have a tombola with the opportunity to win some great prizes on the day.

We look forrward to seeing you there.

Product News:

Niantic, the post emergence herbicide containing 30 g/kg mesosulfuron-methyl + 6 g/kg iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium is a reverse engineered Atlantis WG and can be used this autumn in crops of winter wheat as part of a programmed approach to control grass and broad leaved weeds.

Mild temperatures and showery conditions have caused weed emergence as pre em’s have started to run out of ste

am. Use Niantic at 0.4kg/ha plus authorised adjuvant either Probe or Biopower, while weeds are small and actively growing. Apply product in 200l/ha water up to growth stage 39.

It can be used to tackle, not just black-grass, but other problematic weeds such as wild oats, meadow-grasses and chickweed.

Take care when applying any grass weed products, aim to achieve the highest application standards to improve weed control and prevent resistance build up.

For more product information visit the website: NIANTIC

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) affects crops of wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale.

It is the most widely distributed and economically important viral disease. Reported yield losses range between 30% and 60% in wheat and 50% to 75% in barley.

BYDV is transmitted by the Bird Cherry aphid (left) and the Grain aphid (right)

The virus used to be a lower risk in the UK but following the loss of Neonicotinoid seed dressings it is becoming more common. Add to that a warm and early drilling season such as autumn 2021 and BYDV is almost a certainty.

An aphid will carry the disease for its entire life once it has been infected by feeding on a plant already carrying the virus. Aphids fly into the crop and will feed on cereal foliage or the roots.

Significant infection occurs when second generation aphids feed and move out from the initial infection point.

Infected plants grow slowly and the youngest leaves will start to discolour. Later in the season plants are stunted and yellow patches appear, distributed throughout the field. Aphid reproduction is governed by temperature and chemical control should be targeted at second generation aphids to have maximum impact.

Regular field walking, the use of sticky traps and one of the several T-sum monitoring tools can be used to ensure that chemical application is targeted at the correct timing.

There are several sources of information for working out the best application timing for insecticide treatments. AHDB report on regional monitoring sites for aphid activity and publish regular updates at https://ahdb.org.uk/bydv

Advice on how to calculate the T-sum 170 day degrees threshold is also given on the AHDB website.

The T-sum is based on the date of crop emergence and the daily air temperature and provides guidance on when insecticide treatment should be considered, although this should not replace the need for physical crop inspection.

Insecticides, when used alone rather in than in a tank mix, are best used with a wetter as the low product rate is not sufficient to wet the leaf or aphid prope

rly. Application expert Tom Robinson’s rule of thumb on insecticide application is “For water to wet a leaf, one needs 0.1% non-ionic wetter 200ml in 200l water hence a single product at 50 ml/ha cannot wet the surface properly”

Tom also suggests forward and backwards facing nozzles to ensure maximum coverage of the target, a boom height of 50cm above the crop and sprayer forward speeds of 12-14k.

Correct product choice is essential due to the limited opportunities going into the autumn. Lambdastar contains 100g/l of lamb

da-cyhalothrin and should be used at the full rate of 50ml/ha. The highest risk of crop damage is in the early stages of de

velopment so applications should be made before GS 32 where possible.

As part of our research into how to deal with the BYDV risk in cereals this Autumn, following the loss of neonicotinoid seed dressings and dealing with Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle in OSR crops, Life Scientific commissioned Agrochemex to carry out an insecticide knockdown and persistence study in a replicated glasshouse trial.

A sensitive population of aphids (Aphis fabae) were introduced to bean plants, which were then sprayed with lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide.

Plants were sprayed with either Life Scientific’s Lambdastar or Hallmark Zeon at a rate of 50ml in 200 litres of water.

Aphids were then counted at 3, 7 and 14 days after application.

As expected, no significant differences were apparent between Lambdastar or Hallmark Zeon in terms of knockdown or persistency, however it’s always good to receive confirmation of product comparability between Lambdastar and the reference product.

November Newsletter

Life in Life Scientific…

October Newsletter 

This month we’re starting to see more evidence of getting back to business both in Life Scientific and further afield. Travel to our offices in different countries has resumed for colleagues and Life Scientific welcomed an ISO auditor on site. We’re pleased to report it went well!

CropTec is back for 2021 and we are excited to announce that we will be exhibiting there again at the East of England Showground on November 24th and 25th.

If you want to find out how cutting-edge R&D is bringing better quality off-patent crop protection products to market, come and speak to us at the show, we’ll be in Hall 1.

There will be an opportunity to talk to the team and take part in our Tombola!

We look forward to seeing you there

Product News

Historically seed treatments provided good protection from Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). Now that those treatments are gone, we are relying on cultural control methods and pyrethroid insecticides such as Lambdastar.

Lambdastar, our reverse engineered Hallmark Zeon containing 100g/l lambda-cyhalothrin should be applied to target second generation aphids as these are likely to move away from the plant originally colonised. Use a BYDV management tool or the 170 day degree model to ensure accurate timing. For best application technique, if using the product alone rather than in a fungicide or herbicide mix, use with a non-organo-silicone non-ionic wetter to get maximum efficacy.

Total dose of Lambdastar approved on wheat and barley crops is 200ml used before late milk stage GS 77 and an individual dose of 50ml/ha.

For more product information visit the website:

https://lifescientific.com/products/uk/lambdastar-uk/

Early Weed Control In Cereals

With a large acreage of wheat still to drill, particularly in areas with high black-grass populations, considerations turn to early weed control and which herbicide options to choose.

Firestarter contains 400g/l flufenacet and 100g/l diflufenican and is a reverse engineered Liberator. Firestarter has a proven track record for efficacy equivalence and reliable performance.

Firestarter can be used pre or post emergence in both winter wheat or barley crops at 0.6 l/ha up to 31st March in the year of harvest (GS23).

As flufenacet is currently the strongest active against black-grass control it should be an essential ingredient in any grass weed control programme. With black-grass control there is very little room for error, so it’s important to know that the products being applied in the programme are proven and effective.

Replicated field trials have been carried out over the last three years by the team at Prime Crop Research Ltd in order to demonstrate the efficacy and crop safety of Firestarter when used alone and as part of a programme with other herbicides.

The bar chart above shows the percentage of black-grass seed head reduction at three different trial sites over the last three years.

When Firestarter is used in a mixture with Avadex, trials show a 95.6% reduction in black-grass head numbers.

Firestarter also controls a number of other weeds both at pre and post emergence.

October Newsletter 

Life in Life Scientific…

September Newsletter

The product briefing season is well underway. An opportunity to update growers and agronomists on life in Life Scientific, new products, new developments and best practise advice for the coming autumn season.

We have some new products as well as new uses with the addition of Extensions of Authorisation for Minor Uses (EAMUs) so if you haven’t requested a briefing yet, and would like to hear from us about our current portfolio, new registrations, label changes or just catch up for a chat, either in person or virtually, we’d be happy to hear from you.

Product News

Winter Linseed is gaining in popularity and increasing its UK acreage. It could be seen as an easier crop to manage in the autumn due to being unattractive to Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle and slugs.

Basilico is a reverse engineered Calisto and contains 100g/L of mesotrione providing excellent control for a range of broad leaved weeds.

Basilico was granted an Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) in crops of Linseed when used at the pre-emergence timing and can be applied once at a maximum rate of 1.5L/ha for control of Common chickweed, Fat-hen and Field pansy amongst other autumn germinating weeds.

The EAMU and further product details can be obtained from our website.

https://lifescientific.com/products/uk/basilico/

 Oilseed Rape Focus

Following the 15% reduction in oilseed rape crops harvested this year (AHDB planting survey 2021), on the back of an already declining cropping area from the previous year, this autumn has seen an upturn in planting due to near perfect establishment conditions for many.

Whilst warm, moist seedbeds provide the right conditions to get the crop started, the risks associated with growing OSR have not gone away.

Once the crop is in the ground it needs to be protected – preferably without large up-front costs but due to the increase in selling prices it’s more important than ever to provide the right protection to maximise yield.

Disease control in OSR is much more straightforward than pest control.

Phoma can sometimes be neglected as Light Leaf Spot takes the headlines, but phoma lesions can progress into quite damaging stem cankers which severely impact water and nutrient movement through the plant – impacting the plant’s ability to grow away from slugs, pigeons etc.

Early phoma infections on smaller plants can cause losses of up to 0.5t/ha so it’s important to prioritise smaller plants and apply a fungicide when treatment threshold levels are reached. Difenostar containing 250g/L difenconazole is a great option for phoma control without the up-front spend. The same level of disease control can be achieved with 2 applications of 0.25L/ha 3-4 weeks apart as a single dose of 0.5L/ha. If fresh symptoms are seen in late winter or early spring a second application of 0.5L/ha should be made.

Total dose of Difenostar on oilseed rape is 1L/ha. For more product information visit the website

https://lifescientific.com/products/uk/difenostar/

Although phoma is the most widespread early OSR disease, Light Leaf Spot is the most damaging in terms of yield with potential losses of up to 1t/ha

Earlier sown crops are at the greatest risk of Light Leaf Spot and reports show this disease is being found earlier and recycling quicker than previously thought.

It is important to protect crops in the autumn to prevent a more devastating reoccurrence of the disease in the spring. Fungicide applications should be prioritised for varieties which score below 6 on the Recommended List but all varieties are susceptible so need regular monitoring.

There are several regional forecasting tools which can help for effective application timing. A stacked triazole approach using both tebuconazole and prothioconazole provides protective and curative activity and reduces the reliance on solo prothioconazole as part of a resistance management strategy.

Esker is our reverse engineered Kestrel containing 160g/L prothioconazole and 80g/L tebuconazole. It is an excellent fungicide choice for the control of Light Leaf Spot and will also contribute to plant growth regulation and managing crop canopies in order to maximise yield.

We can’t talk about OSR autumn protection without mentioning Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle. Early sowing could be a way of preventing damage from Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle as larger crops may withstand a greater amount of insect damage.

However constant monitoring is needed until plants are big enough to grow away from early shot-holing damage.

Lambdastar our reverse engineered Hallmark Zeon, is a good option for pyrethroid sensitive CSFB. Lambdastar contains 100g/L lambda-cyhalothrin and should be used as part of an anti resistance strategy when thresholds are reached.  If using as a stand alone application a non-ionic wetter should be included to maximise efficacy.

September Newsletter

Life in Life Scientific… Subject, Harvest and Farm 24

August Newsletters

UK News:

Combines are rolling up and down the country and it’s an exciting time for everyone involved in the harvest process. However, it can also be a dangerous and challenging time. This year the agricultural industry has seen almost a doubling of fatal injuries whilst at work.

Please take the time to assess risks to you and others whilst working. For practical tips and advice the Farm Safety Foundation has a range of resources available on it’s website.

We’d like to wish all our colleagues and customers a successful, but mostly a safe harvest season.

Product News

Growers have taken advantage of good ground conditions and high prices and oilseed rape drilling has begun. Many growers are being tempted back into the crop after dropping it from rotations last year.

Unfortunately the risk of losses and complete crop failure from cabbage stem flea beetle has not gone away and growers will be monitoring crops carefully for signs of the pest.

Lambdastar is our reverse engineered Hallmark Zeon containing 100g/l lambda-cyhalothrin and can be used for CSFB control when thresholds are reached.

Lambdastar has a maximum individual dose of 75ml/ha in OSR and can be mixed with a range of fungicides if also targeting phoma or light leaf spot, however, if using as a stand alone application a non-ionic wetter should be included to maximise efficacy. For more information full product details are on the website.

Lambdastar

New Stater for Trials

We’ve expanded the Life Scientific team this month with the appointment of Sam Gorny. Sam joins Life Scientific as our new Efficacy Specialist working in the Regulatory Science Team. Sam has a strong background in plant science and plant pathology, having a BSc in Microbiology and Plant Science at Nottingham Trent University and a PhD from the University of Nottingham and Rothamsted Research. Sam joins us from UPL where he has been managing efficacy regulatory trials programs for the last seven years.

All our products are authorised by CRD on the basis of comparability with the reference product. Our approach of reverse engineering off patent products does not require the submission of efficacy data to regulatory authorities as the products have already been assessed for comparability against pesticide chemistry, mammalian toxicology, ecotoxicology and efficacy perspectives. However, there are cases where we decide to generate efficacy data through field trials; this applies in particular to novel mixture products currently in our pipeline.

These products will be an exciting extension of our “cloned” range, bringing our customers new crop protection options.

#FARM 24

Each year, British farmers are encouraged to take to social media for one day to post pictures, videos and text to show and explain the work they are doing that day. The aim is to show consumers the vast extent of the effort and care which goes into producing the food they eat.

Once again we’re really pleased to be supporting #Farm24, it’s is a great opportunity for Life Scientific to see how some of our growers are getting on and we took the opportunity to get out and visit a few of those farms on August 5th for #Farm24 and see how the harvest season was progressing for them.

August Newsletters

Life in Life Scientific…Subject, EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards, Sugar beet, and septoria

July Newsletters

UK NEWS:

Following our CEO Nicola Mitchell’s great achievements in this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Life Scientific welcomed An Tanaiste, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, former Prime Minster Leo Varadkar along with the Chairman and CEO of Enterprise Ireland to our Dublin headquarters in June.
Our guests were treated to a tour of the laboratory and office facilities before Enterprise Ireland shared results of 2020 export performance of Enterprise Ireland supported companies.

NEW PRODUCT NEWS

As this cropping season draws to a close and growers prepare for harvest, we’re preparing for our next season’s sales and we’re delighted to be launching 2 new products in spring 2021.

Sudo Mor is a reverse engineered Moddus which contains250g/l trinexapac-ethyl and is the first plant growth regulationproduct from Life Scientific for the UK and NI market. SudoMor is registered for use in cereals and grassland and full product information, label, tank mix etc. will be published on the website shortly.
Our second new product addition is Kaskad, a reverse engineered Debut, which is a herbicide approved for use in fodder and sugar beet and contains 500g/kg triflusulfuron-methyl. We’ll let you know when all the product details havebeen added to our website.

https://lifescientific.com/products/

SUGAR BEET HERBICIDE TRIALS

Kaskad, our new sugar beet herbicide containing 500gm of triflusulfuron is currently in trials in the north of France.
Comparisons between Kaskad and Debut are being made against phytotoxicity and their performance as a herbicide.
Both products are being used at 20g/ha in a mix with an adjuvant and the products shown opposite which were applied at 2, 4 and 6 leaves.

This season has proved challenging for French beet growers due to the late season frosts. Sugar beet can be a particularly sensitive crop but both products recorded no crop damage or negative effects, even in the unseasonal weather conditions.
The final results are still coming in but the mix has worked well in a particularly weedy site and there are no statistical differences between the weed control of Kaskad and Debut.

OUT AND ABOUT

Things are slowly getting back to normal and evidence of that is attending agricultural shows and meeting neighbours to discuss crop progress.
In the last month we’ve had Groundswell showcasing the importance of soil health and The Cereals Event held in Lincolnshire.
It has also been a great time to view some of our plot trails and it’s really interesting, to note the geographical differences in terms of disease pressure.
In Lincolnshire it was all about yellow rust but in Hampshire and Yorkshire the standout pressure was from Septoria.

We are trialling a new fungicide and a new approach. Our product range is based on the technique of reverse engineering. It’s recreating an existing product, where the patent has expired to provide alternative (but identical) choices to our customers. However our new registration is a combination of active ingredients which are not currently on the market. We’ve taken the best bits from both formulations to create a really exciting new product for winter wheat, different to anything currently on the market. Watch this space for further details in the near future!

July Newsletters

Kaskad and Sudo Mor are registered trademarks of Life Scientific. Kaskad contains triflusulfuron –methyl. Sudo Mor contains trinexapac – ethyl.
All other products are those of other manufacturers where proprietary rights may exist. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to www.lifescientific.com

Life in Life Scientific…

PDF Newsletter May 2021

Life Scientific market products in several European countries. France is currently Life Scientific’s largest market in terms of range and revenue.

Promotion of crop protection products is highly regulated in France. However, later this month Life Scientific France are partnering with InVivo Bioline at Bioline’s Openfield event. The performance of Life Scientific products in the field will be demonstrated at the event.

Life Scientific France and openfield:

OpenField has been set up as a platform to showcase innovative products, technologies and services offered by companies associated with Bioline InVivo. The focus is performance and sustainability, and as part of the initiative, Life Scientific France will be running demonstration trials for 3 products:

• Trial n°1 with prothioconazole and metconazole on Wheat.
• Trial n°2 with prothioconazole and azoxystrobin on Barley.
• Trial n °3 with S Metolachlor safener on Maize.

Follow Life Scientific France on Instagram :             #lifescientificxopenfield21 !!

T3 Applications

T3 applications are being planned for most cereal crops.

Despite fusarium risk being low due to the hot and dry conditions, many growers won’t want to take the risk of leaving crops completely unprotected from now until harvest.

Brown rust is also a concern at this late stage and plants will need protection to prevent yield loss.

Oraso Pro and Esker fungicides containing tebuconazole and prothioconazole make ideal choices to protect against ear diseases such as rust.

They will also give a top up on septoria control and help prevent loss of grain quality in milling wheats.

Ideal Timing

The timing of T3 applications will, of course depend on variety and end market considerations.

However the main target of the fungicide application will also change the ideal spraying date. If the target is controlling foliar diseases an early T3, around GS 59 is considered optimum. This will also help to maximise the canopy size and the duration of yield building within the plant.

The ear is considered to be at the greatest risk of disease between GS 63 and 65, just after the start of flowering. Ears are infected via the anthers so it’s important not to spray before these are out. This can be a really short time period so regular crop monitoring and a variety prioritisation plan should be in place. Levels of disease control will decrease daily after flowering is completed, so at GS 65 crops will become a priority if weather has made application impossible up to that point.

Click for ESKER information                                  Click for ORASO PRO information

Bean Agronomy

Many bean crops will have received their first fungicide application, but a follow up will be needed to ensure plants remain disease free for the remainder of the growing season. The recent warmer weather brings an increased risk of bean rust and chocolate spot.

Rust scores are not classified on the PGRO recommended list for 2021 but there are no varieties of winter or spring bean crops which are resistant to rust.

During the last couple of years bean rust has become the most dominant disease of the crop. Using an effective fungicide will protect yield losses which can be as high as 70%.

A mix of azoxystrobin and tebuconazole will control disease. Azoxystar contains 250g/l azoxystrobin and is permitted for two applications of 1.0 l/ha between GS 60 and 69. If Azoxystar has been used previously in the crop leave a 21 day interval between applications. Zonor which contains 250g/l tebuconazole can be used in mix with Azoxystar or separately from GS 40 up to 35 days before harvest to control chocolate spot and bean rust.

Click for AZOXYSTAR information                                            Click for ZONOR information

PDF Newsletter May 2021

Oraso Pro, Esker, Azoxystar and Zonor are registered trademarks of Life Scientific. Esker and Oraso Pro contain prothioconazole and tebuconazole. Zonor contains tebuconazole. Azoxystar contains azoxystrobin.

All other products are those of other manufacturers where proprietary rights may exist. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. For further product information including warning phrases and symbols refer to www.lifescientific.com