March 23, 2016
DuPont plans to add Lumisena™ fungicide seed treatment
DuPont has announced plans to add the next member of the DuPont™ Lumigen™ seed sense portfolio.
DuPont™Lumisena™ fungicide seed treatment, pending US EPA registration, will help deliver improved crop establishment and stand uniformity through Phytophthora control in soybeans and best-in-class downy mildew control for sunflower crops in the US.
"Lumisena™ fungicide seed treatment will be the most advanced seed-applied technology to control Phytophthora in soybeans since the introduction of mefenoxam and metalaxyl," said Mick Messman, director of DuPont Seed Treatment Enterprise. "Once registered, Lumisena™ is expected to help growers protect their crops through effective control against the oomycete pathogens that reduce soybean and sunflower production due to Phytophthora and downy mildew infection in developing crops."
In university research trials, soybean seed treated with the active ingredient in Lumisena™ provided outstanding protection against Phytophthora compared with conventional seed treatment fungicides.
In DuPont research trials across four growing seasons, seed protected with Lumisena™ had 32% reduced incidence of Phytophthora sojae versus untreated seed.
In sunflower university trials, seed treated with the active ingredient in Lumisena™ produced plants with significantly reduced incidence of downy mildew versus existing fungicide seed treatments.
DuPont trials have shown seed treated with Lumisena™ had 76% to 96% less incidence of downy mildew compared to untreated seed, and 20% to 41% less incidence of downy mildew compared to conventional fungicide seed treatments. No cross-resistance to other seed-applied fungicides has been observed.
Oxathiapiprolin, the active ingredient in Lumisena™, is a DuPont discovery that received the Agrow Award for Most Innovative Chemistry in 2012.
"The true benefit in using Lumisena™ is in how it works," said Messman. "In development trials, this remarkable product controlled oomycete infestation during multiple stages of the pathogen life cycle, resulting in healthier plants and greater crop efficiency."
Lumisena™ is expected to have a favorable environmental profile, given its ability to deliver highly effective pathogen control at extremely low use rates.
"The Lumigen™ seed sense portfolio is growing to meet the demands of our customers around the world," Messman added. "Upon registration, Lumisena™ will follow DuPont™ Lumiderm™ insecticide seed treatment for canola in Canada, DuPont™ Dermacor® seed treatment products in the Brazilian soybean market, and DuPont™ Lumivia™ insecticide seed treatment for corn in the US."
The DuPont Integrated Seed Science Network, with state-of-the-art centers in Wilmington, Delaware, and Johnston, Iowa, is dedicated to testing industry-leading seed treatment formulations, matching seed treatments with genetics for integrated seed solutions, and exploring applications and seed-handling techniques to bring new tools to seed companies and growers.
"We are committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to help the industry," Messman said. "Working together to help farmers get more from every acre is fundamental to delivering on the need to provide enough food for our growing global population."