Corteva Agriscience has received product registration for the first fungicide from the Inatreq active (fenpicoxamid) family of products in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Product authorisation for Ireland and the UK was expected in spring of this year. However, when the regulatory evaluation was close to completion, the final pieces of data required further discussion with the regulator.

However, last week it was confirmed that the product registration in ROI has been received, paving the way for Irish field demonstrations this season.

ROI now becomes the second European country to grant regulatory approval, after France, and the third in the world in cereals.

Eagerly anticipated

The new active has been eagerly anticipated by the industry as another tool to help protect against key cereal diseases. Inatreq is the first new molecule naturally derived with a unique target site that tackles septoria for 15 years.

It has been shown to provide good protectant and curative efficacy in wheat against septoria, with good protectant activity on yellow and brown rust. It will become an important component of a long-term resistance strategy on farms.

The first product containing the new active is called Questar and will be widely demonstrated in trials and at field scale this year.

First sales

First sales will take place ahead of the 2021 growing season with a full programme of launch events and demonstration trials due to take place for farmers and agronomists this year.

The next country registrations for Inatreq products, anticipated within the coming year, are expected to be the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark and, subsequently, all relevant European markets.

In a statement to the Irish Farmers Journal, national field technical manager for Corteva Agriscience in Ireland Liz Glynn said: “Ultimately, this new solution will help control septoria, the biggest disease affecting wheat yields and of greatest concern to farmers”.

Liz Glynn from Corteva Agriscience at the From the Tramlines farm walk in Meath in 2019.

“Farmers in Ireland have waited a long time for an innovation as good as this to arrive, and they now have the ability to see it in action and integrate Questar into their disease control programmes for next year,” Liz said.