Syngenta Canada has registered Moddus in Canada, a new plant growth regulator which helps to reduce lodging risk in wheat, barley and oat crops, a news release from the company says on Nov. 30.
“We know that lodging means major headaches and reduced income,” Eric Phillips, fungicides and insecticides product lead with Syngenta Canada, says in the news release. “With Moddus, we are providing a solution that improves harvestability, lets growers push for higher yields and ultimately, get more in the bin.”
Crops which have lodged may have lower yields, poor grain fill and lost grain, the release notes. It often causes delayed harvests, heavier workloads and increased grain cleaning, drying and storage costs. Lodged crops are also more susceptible to disease infection.
Moddus contains trinexapac-ethyl, an active ingredient with years of proven use to manage lodging in cereal crops, the release notes. It works by redirecting the plant’s production of gibberellic acid, a hormone responsible for growth, to reduce cell elongation. This results in plants with shorter, thicker stems and improved overall standability.
“We want growers to be able to push for higher yields and have more freedom to explore other varieties that might have otherwise been impacted by lodging,” says Phillips.
Moddus will be available for the 2021 growing season, the release says.
