This growing season has been taxed by heat and humidity, creating ample opportunity for plant health issues to erode yield potential. At Midwestern BioAg, we’ve recently expanded our agronomy product line-up beyond plant nutrition to include a fungicide treatment option for our growers – REGALIA® Rx biofungicide. REGALIA® Rx is designed to provide defense against fungal pests on cereal grains, corn, soybeans, cotton, forage, peanuts, sorghum and sugar beets.
What is REGALIA® Rx Biofungicide?
REGALIA® Rx is a group P5 fungicide. P5 is a FRAC code specific to this fungicide because it has a unique mode of action (MOA). Common fungicides like Headline® (group 11), Stratego® YLD (group 3/11) and Priaxor® (group 7/11) all have similar MOAs, which can lead to increased chances of treatment resistance. According to the 2017 Fungicide Resistance Action Committee’s Code List, resistance risks associated with these common fungicides are:
- Group 11: High risk
- Group 7: Medium-to-high risk
- Group 3: Medium risk
- Group P5: Resistance not known
What makes REGALIA® Rx biofungicide truly fascinating and special is its MOA. REGALIA®’s unique MOA – host plant defense induction – provides needed diversification in fungicide programs while also boosting plant health.
Understanding Induced Systemic Resistance
REGALIA® Rx works through induced systemic resistance (ISR). ISR is a unique mode of action that works by stimulating plant response to disease pressure before actual diseases are detected. This results in strengthened plant defenses, helping prevent the onset of actual disease when it is imminent.
At application, the REGALIA® Rx product stimulates plants to produce phenolic and antioxidant compounds, which can strengthen plant cell walls and protect against oxidative stress. Additionally, multiple plant defense systems are activated, including the production of pathogenesis-related proteins (PR proteins) and phytoalexins which can directly inhibit the growth of pathogens. These changes systemically fortify the plant and protect it from future pathogen invasion and environmental stresses.
REGALIA® RX in the Fungicide Program
REGALIA® Rx is active against most pathogens commonly found in Midwest cropping systems. As a plant-health product, it should be used to target diseases affecting vegetative growth. REGALIA® Rx is proven to be effective against many common vegetative diseases that traditional fungicides have targeted, in addition to certain diseases resistant to other fungicide treatments. This flexible product is also OMRI listed for use in organic production.
Enhancing the Integrated Pest Management Strategy
There is currently no known disease resistance to REGALIA® Rx, making it an excellent addition to existing pest management programs and IPM strategies. As a tank mix partner, it can improve the efficacy of other fungicides and increase plant yield potential. Over three years and 140 trials*, REGALIA® Rx application has generated yield increases up to 7.2 bushels in corn and 3.4 bushels in soybeans. It aids in disease prevention like the Headline’s and Stratego’s of the world, but through a mode of action that may have a more desirable environmental outcome for the grower.
It’s important to remember that most annually persistent plant diseases take refuge in crop residues. If residue management is contributing to persistent plant disease issues, actions to improve soil health must become a top priority. Once soil health issues are addressed, products like REGALIA® Rx can begin disease prevention processes early in crop development, improving crop success rates and yield potential.
Application Rates
Apply one pint of REGALIA® Rx with preferred fungicide tank partner at:
- Corn: V4-V7, or near VT
- Soybeans: R1-R3
- Wheat: 50-100% flag leaf emergence
*Based on data collected from 140+ trials conducted between 2013 – 2016 by Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. and Koch Agronomic Services. In these trials, REGALIA® Rx + fungicide increased yield compared to fungicide alone in 77% of the corn trials and 67% of the soybean trials. The average yield benefits shown represent data from the trials in which the grower fungicide + REGALIA ® Rx resulted in a yield increase compared to the yield delivered by use of the grower fungicide alone. All users should keep in mind that results may vary based on a number of factors, including environmental conditions.
Regalia and the Regalia logo are trademarks of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc.