Work

Biological efficacy of a new generation fungicide on the development of the leaf and stem infection complex in wheat

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background. Among the complex of leaf and stem diseases affecting spring common wheat, Septoria leaf blotch and stem rust are the most widespread and destructive. In the Republic of Dagestan and the Rostov region, the incidence of these diseases ranges from 20 to 80%, resulting in significant yield losses, which in some years can exceed 20%. The high aggressiveness of these fungal pathogens, combined with their ability to spread rapidly and adapt to varying environmental conditions, makes them a major challenge for wheat production. Given the significant impact of these diseases on crop productivity, the development and implementation of effective control measures, including the use of modern fungicides, are critical for agriculture in regions with high phytopathological pressure. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the biological efficacy of a new two-component fungicide, Taxis, SC (containing azoxystrobin 240 g/l and epoxiconazole 160 g/l), in reducing the etiology of fungal diseases affecting wheat crops. Materials and methods. The research was conducted in 2022 and 2023 on experimental plots of LLC “Vympel”, Khasavyurtovsky district, Republic of Dagestan (zone II), and in the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Federal Rostov Agrarian Scientific Center”, Aksai district, Rassvet village, Rostov region (zone III). In the experiments we used fungicide Taxis, SK produced by LLC “Alliance Bio” and 2 varieties of spring common wheat: variety Prokhorovka (Republic of Dagestan) and variety Lilek (Rostov region). The experimental design included T1) Taxis, SC (0.6 l/ha) and T2) control (no treatment). Taxis, SC was applied twice: 1. treatment - end of tillering - beginning of emergence; 2. treatment - after 14 days. Results. In the untreated control plots, the average incidence of Septoria leaf blotch was 17.8% and 15.6%, and stem rust was 16.9% and 16.6% in the Rostov region and the Republic of Dagestan in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Low levels of brown rust (5%) and powdery mildew (4%) were also observed. The infection rates for stem rust and Septoria leaf blotch averaged about 2% per day, while the rates for brown rust and powdery mildew were about 0.5% per day. However, application of the new two-component fungicide Taxis, SC at 0.6 l/ha showed high biological efficacy of over 80.0%, significantly reducing disease incidence and severity in both regions and years. Profitability in the untreated control group was 40.2% in Dagestan and 11.0% in the Rostov region, but increased to 49.0% and 25.0% respectively with fungicide application. Conclusion. The findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of using the fungicide Taxis, SK to protect spring soft wheat against a range of leaf and stalk diseases, leading to a significant increase in crop yield. Further research could focus on optimizing its application technologies and widening the geographical scope of its use.

Source: Siberian Journal of Life Sciences and Agriculture

DOI: 10.12731/2658-6649-2025-17-5-1154