Q&A WITH Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D.

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1 Bayer featured Densicor in its booth at GIS. Can you tell us a little about this new fungicide?

Densicor is an exciting new DMI fungicide that was built to tackle the toughest diseases across the golf course while providing remarkable turf safety. It offers both preventive and curative control for up to 28 days of the most challenging diseases, including dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose, gray leaf spot and snow mold. And it features all the qualities you need in a great fairway fungicide including an ultra-low use rate and convenient packaging while also delivering powerful efficacy for greens applications.

2 There are many broad-spectrum fungicides on the market. Why should superintendents choose Densicor to address the top five turf diseases?

A national survey of superintendents indicated that the top five turf diseases are dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose, gray leaf spot and snow molds. DMI fungicides are typically applied because of their broad-spectrum control of both foliar and soil-borne diseases. However, not all DMIs are created equally; some products only have two or three of these top five diseases on their labels, leaving critical gaps in disease control. Densicor not only includes all of these diseases on the label, but also shows outstanding performance against each of them. In total, Densicor controls 13 different cool- and warm-season diseases.

3 Turf safety is important and some DMI fungicides are known to cause growth regulation and/or thinning. Is Densicor safe on turf?

Plenty of fungicides are “safe” on turf, but many DMIs can lose their broad-spectrum appeal due to negative growth regulation and phytotoxicity when the weather heats up. Densicor shows excellent cool- and warm-season turf safety under any environmental condition with or without plant growth regulators. This feature allows Densicor to be applied up to three times per year on greens, tees and fairways with no concerns, including in the heat of the summer.

4 Can you elaborate on the use rate of Densicor?

Densicor simplifies disease management for superintendents by offering a single, ultra-low use rate (0.196 fl oz/1,000 sq ft or 8.5 fl oz/acre) in a convenient bottle size. Densicor is tailored for fairway applications with one bottle treating six acres, resulting in less time spent measuring, loading, and rinsing.

5 When will Densicor be widely available for purchase?

Densicor has federal registration. Bayer is currently securing state registrations which will allow for an extensive demo program this summer. Densicor is targeted to be available for purchase mid-summer 2021. For more information and to sign up to receive updates on when Densicor will be available for purchase in your state, visit es.bayer.us/densicor. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Bayer area sales manager.