By Brian Hefty

Capture VGR, Ethos XB, Manticor, Temitry, and Brigade are just a few of the new names you’ll want to know when it comes to planting corn this spring.

  • Capture VGR.  Technically, you’ll find this called Capture LFR + VGR, but for short many have just been calling it Capture VGR.  You are likely familiar with Capture LFR, the bifenthrin product that can mix with liquid fertilizer and is compatible even in colder temperatures.  Capture VGR is simply Capture LFR plus a biological product.  For many dealers, they are selling this new product for less money per acre than the old LFR, which means you might as well switch.  The advantages brought by the new biological component include greater phosphorus uptake and a reduction in moisture stress in the crop.
  • Ethos XB is another FMC product with a biological component.  This one also contains Capture LFR, but the second part is a bio-fungicide that helps to suppress fusarium, pythium, rhizoctonia, and phytophthora.
  • Manticor and Temitry LFR are identical.  Manticor is sold by BASF, while Temitry comes from FMC.  Both contain Headline and Capture LFR.  We have seen good results with fungicide in-furrow in cold weather situations, but the big problem has been tankmixing.  You can’t put Headline together with anything that we’ve found for an in-furrow solution.  That’s why this premix is here.  If you need insecticide and fungicide in-furrow, Manticor or Temitry LFR may be your answer.
  • Brigade is generic bifenthrin.  While it’s not new, its reduced price is getting so much attention I felt it was worth mentioning.  For around $3 per acre, you can get a full rate of Brigade, which is just generic Capture.  Unfortunately, Brigade can’t be mixed with fertilizer or fungicide for in-furrow use.  Where we see the biggest fit for Brigade is post-emerge in soybeans and other crops.  Not only does it kill spider mites in the Midwest, but I have always felt Brigade has a little more residual and slightly better control on most insects than Silencer.  Now that it’s only about $1 per acre more than Silencer, it is probably well worth it.
  • AgroLiquid’s new PRIMAGRO products add a biological to their different liquid fertilizers.  About 10 years ago when I first met one of the world’s foremost experts on plant growth hormones, he predicted this day would come.  Here is exactly what he told me: “Brian, you farmers think you can just throw a bunch of fertilizer at your crops and solve all your problems.”  Of course I thought that’s exactly what we needed to do.  However, I’d always noticed how residual soil fertility seemed better than applied fertility in many crops.  Anyway, when I asked what was wrong with our current strategy, here’s what he said, “In order for a plant to be able to use that fertilizer, the plant needs enzymes, hormones, and more at the same levels, so my prediction is eventually you’ll find other products added to all fertilizers to help them become better utilized quickly by the crop they are applied to.”  We are anxious to do more testing on the PRIMAGO products, as we are excited about the potential.
  • Nutri-cycle is a new biological we have tested over the last couple of years.  We have seen good yield response as a seed treatment and as an in-furrow choice, especially in corn.  This product has 21 different beneficial soil organisms, which is more than any other product we know of.  Another somewhat unique thing is that some of these species appear to be able to survive more than a year, so a multi-year benefit is possible.  You can add it to your in-furrow fertilizer program and try it this year for around $6 per acre.