Best Use of Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide

Aramax® Intrinsic® brand fungicide from BASF became available to golf course superintendents in June.

As anticipation surrounding the incorporation of a new disease control tool into spray programs builds, questions surrounding how to effectively use the fungicide quickly expand. Successful superintendents, after all, are uber-curious professionals.

To satisfy initial curiosity, let’s explore the fundamentals associated with Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide with BASF Senior Technical Specialist Dr. Emma Lookabaugh.

What is Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide?

Superintendents are likely familiar with most of the science behind Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide. The new solution features an active ingredient combination of pyraclostrobin (QoI, group 11) + triticonazole (group 3 DMI fungicide). The solo products featuring these active ingredients include Insignia SC® Intrinsic® brand fungicide and Trinity® fungicide. Aramax Intrinsic is the sixth solution in the Intrinsic brand fungicide lineup, which debuted in 2006 with the launch of Insignia SC Intrinsic brand fungicide.

What does Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide do?

Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide provides broad-spectrum control of 26 diseases on cool- and warm-season turf, including large patch, brown patch, snow mold and dollar spot.

Where on a golf course should Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide be used?

The largest swaths of short-cut turf — fairways.

“Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide is a go-to fairway fungicide brand that delivers expanded spectrum of control, longer lasting protection and better resistance management over solo-active products,” Lookabaugh says.

When is the best time to apply Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide on cool-season turf?

BASF recommends using Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide as foundational fall and spring applications to protect fairways against brown patch, dollar spot, leaf spots and other diseases. As winter approaches, the cool-season disease control focus shifts to snow mold.

“Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide can also hold its own in snow mold country and offers buildable protection to fit your region, length of snow cover and varying disease pressure,” Lookabaugh says. “Apply preventively for maximum disease control.”

When is the best time to apply Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide on warm-season turf?

For large patch, Lookabaugh recommends using Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide as a foundational control solution fall through spring. Applications to control other diseases on warm-season turf such as dollar spot, leaf spots, take-all root rot and Microdochium patch should occur on an “as-needed” basis, she adds.

Lookabaugh says early spring Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide applications can also “jumpstart” fairy ring protection while providing added plant health benefits for maximum turf quality.

What rate ensures Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide works as intended?

This is a simple one. The label rate of one fluid once per 1,000 square feet (the equivalent of 43.6 fluid ounces per acre) controls all 26 diseases on the label. Applications can provide up to 28 days of control.

Does Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide need to be watered in post-application? If so, how much irrigation should be applied for it to work as effectively as possible?

BASF recommends applying Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide in two to four gallons of water per 1,000 square feet. A customized post-application approach should be used on a few diseases. Lookabaugh recommends light irrigation following applications targeting large patch and watering in applications targeting fairy ring and root diseases like take-all root rot or summer patch with at least a quarter inch of irrigation to help drive the fungicide to the root zone.

What factors should superintendents consider if using Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide curatively?

Lookabaugh calls curative fungicide applications “tricky” regardless of the product being applied, because of the visual disconnect between the amount of disease damage noticeable and the amount of disease that actually exists.

When making curative or clean-up applications, Lookabaugh recommends one application to stop disease progression, followed by a second application much earlier than planned to help compensate for increased disease.

“This means tightening up your spray intervals,” she says. “When conditions are favorable for disease and pressure is high, don’t stretch your sprays. Aramax has performed well in curative applications and Intrinsic plant health benefits on board to help stimulate healing and faster recovery.”

What else should superintendents know to get the most out of their Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide applications?

The fungicide “easily fits” into existing programs using SDHI fungicides such as Encartis® fungicide and Xzemplar® fungicide. BASF now includes Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide applications in its popular and practical Intrinsic Holiday Spray Program.

“To maximize disease control with Aramax Intrinsic brand fungicide and take advantage of Intrinsic Plant health benefits, we recommend following our Intrinsic Holiday Spray Program for fairways,” Lookabaugh says. “This program helps you build a foundation of plant health to protect turf from disease, and increase resilience to heat, drought and winter stress.”