What is plant health?
Plant health is optimized plant growth that starts with superior disease control. When plants are freed from battling disease, they divert more resources to growth and productivity. The net result of plant health is obvious at harvest, when growers will benefit from an easier harvest with higher yields and better crop quality.
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What visible evidence will growers have of the plant health benefits of HEADLINE?
Following application of HEADLINE®, growers can expect to see:
- Enhanced growth efficiency, including hardier stalks and roots, leaves that stay greener longer, and improved grain fill.
- Improved stress tolerance. To date, this enhanced ability to tolerate stress has been observed when plants have been exposed to heat, cold and drought conditions.
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What are the yield boosts typically associated with HEADLINE?
In peas, the average yield increase was 11 percent, based on side-by-side Canadian trials from 2003-08. In lentils, the increase was 9 percent in trials from 2006-08. In wheat, the yield increase was 10 percent in 2003-08 trials. And in corn, the increase was 10-12 bu/ac based on 2007-08 field trials.
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Do other fungicides produce the yield boost or plant health benefits associated with HEADLINE?
A good fungicide controls disease and delivers higher yields. But ongoing research has shown that only HEADLINE consistently delivers plant health benefits that dramatically improve yields and quality. To date, research shows that these benefits are uniquely associated with the active ingredient in HEADLINE, not strobilurins in general.
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Does HEADLINE produce plant health benefits even when there’s no disease?
HEADLINE is only labeled for disease control, which is basic to plant health. When plant health benefits and improved yield occur in crops without obvious signs of disease, we believe it is due to the presence of disease at levels that don’t produce symptoms, along with improved growth efficiency and stress reduction.
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HEADLINE is labeled for use on other crops.
Does it deliver plant health benefits and yield improvements on these crops too?
BASF is researching the use of the active ingredient in HEADLINE to quantify its effects in other crops. To date, peas, lentils, wheat and corn are the best-studied crops in Canada from a plant health perspective, and we’re confident that growers of these crops can benefit from a planned application of HEADLINE.
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Will growers see plant health benefits if they apply HEADLINE after the appearance of disease symptoms?
The active ingredient in HEADLINE prevents disease. It is far less effective at stopping existing outbreaks and “curing” infected plants. For maximum plant health benefits, HEADLINE must be applied as part of a planned program to proactively prevent disease.
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What kind of equipment will growers need to apply HEADLINE?
On peas, lentils and wheat, HEADLINE can be applied with conventional spray equipment. To ensure maximum penetration of fungicides throughout the canopy, applicators typically adjust the nozzles, pressure and carrier volume to produce fine to medium droplets. In corn, HEADLINE applications are usually made by an aerial applicator or with a high clearance sprayer. In corn, as with all crops, canopy penetration is critical.
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What are the best practices to ensure that growers get the most benefit from HEADLINE?
What application rate and water volumes are optimal?
Even though HEADLINE is systemic through the leaf, it’s critical that HEADLINE penetrate throughout the canopy. In peas, lentils, wheat and corn, use an application rate of 160 mL/ac. For ground application, use a minimum water volume of 10 gallons/ac (40 L/ac). For aerial application, use a minimum water volume of 5 gallons/ac (20 L/ac).
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What crop stresses does HEADLINE help plants overcome?
Extensive field studies have shown that crops treated with HEADLINE are more tolerant of heat, cold and drought conditions.
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Why is BASF so confident about plant health?
Research on the plant health benefits of HEADLINE is a global initiative at BASF. It’s an exciting new area and, to date, the results of thousands of field trials covering hundreds of thousands of acres on many crops have reliably shown that the disease control of HEADLINE can trigger plant health benefits that result in dramatically higher yields.
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To get maximum plant health benefits, when should HEADLINE be applied?
On all crops, HEADLINE must be applied preventatively, before the appearance of disease symptoms, for maximum plant health effect. In peas and lentils, best results are achieved when HEADLINE is applied at early flower. In wheat, apply HEADLINE immediately after flag leaf emergence. In corn, the application window is between mid-flag and silking, with best results achieved between early tassel and silking.
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Does an application of HEADLINE delay crop maturity?
By preventing premature leaf fall and ripening, HEADLINE helps plants stay greener longer, thus increasing the duration of grain fill and increasing productivity.
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Does HEADLINE help with, prevent or repair green snap?
Green snap in field peas is caused by herbicide injury early in the season. So an appropriately timed application of HEADLINE (well after herbicide application) is unlikely to help.
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If I apply HEADLINE, can I cut back fertilizer?
We do not recommend lowering fertilizer rates. Fertilizer is critical for seedlings to grow into a vigorous stand. HEADLINE is applied later in the season and will not offset the need for early-season fertilizer.
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In corn, how does HEADLINE prevent lodging?
A planned application of HEADLINE prevents lodging in two ways. First, it reduces the incidence of stalk rot. Second, the plant health benefit of improved growth efficiency diverts more energy to vegetative growth, resulting in hardier, more durable stalks and more profuse root systems (which are important in anchoring the plant).
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What corn hybrids respond best to HEADLINE and deliver the highest plant health benefits?
According to recent research, the varieties that exhibit the best plant health benefits fall into two categories: those with the highest-yield potential (> 100 percent yield index) and those that are most susceptible to disease. With high-yield-potential hybrids, the plant health benefits of HEADLINE help convert untapped potential into actual yield. With susceptible varieties, the extraordinary disease control of HEADLINE prevents disease onset and the plant health benefits help the crop to capitalize on its yield potential.
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