With an emphasis on growing fewer soybean acres due to this year’s move toward more continuous corn, no-tillers are looking for new ways to boost soybean yields. And attendees at last winter’s 15th annual National No-Tillage Conference learned that a number of new pesticide developments can definitely help in the control of insects, diseases and weeds.

Disease Management Strategies.

Mike Weber, Bayer CropScience senior technical service representative at Indianola, Iowa, says the company is offering Trilex AL for 2007, a combination of broad-spectrum disease protection found in Trilex (trifloxystrobin) and Allegiance (metalaxyl). This easy-to-apply formulation offers thorough plant coverage and rhizobia compatibility.

Weber says the tirazole issue with Stratego is being resolved with the Environmental Protection Agency and full label approval is anticipated. This formulation of trifloxystrobin and propiconazole offers both locked in and systemic activity with a number of late-season disease concerns.

Weber says Absolute, a tankmix of trifloxystrobin plus tebuconazole, will be the top Bayer product for controlling an outbreak of Asian soybean rust. A rate of 5 ounces per acre of Absolute offers the same protection against rust as 10 ounces of Stratego, says Weber.

For management of a number of foliar diseases in no-tilled soybeans, Syngenta offers Quilt and Quadris. Mike Leetch says the use of these fungicides can boost yields, increase test weight, improve soybean quality, improve germination, reduce seed coat damage and produce larger beans. The fungicide treatment can also help avoid premature defoliation and dry-down, says the Syngenta technical support agronomist at Adel…