WinField 5 for 2015: Golf

As 2015 comes to a close, we reflect on some of the top products for the golf market. Here is my “WinField 5 for 2015” list …

#5 PHOSPHITES
During the year we saw Appear from Syngenta reappear, the launch of Signature Xtra from Bayer and the rollout of Gravity® 38 Special from WinField. Appear and Gravity® 38 Special are both potassium phosphite formulas – Appear is labeled as a fungicide while Gravity® 38 Special is labeled as a fertilizer. Signature Xtra is a Fosetyl-Al formulation. The differences in the formulas comes from what is reacted with Phosphonic Acid. Phosphites are growing in use and demand due to improved plant health claims, especially under stressful conditions.

#4 SPECTICLE TOTAL
This year, Bayer launched Specticle Total. This product is a combination of Specticle (active ingredient indaziflam), Diquat and Glyphosate. This potent formulation kills weeds quickly and prevents them for up to 6 months – making Specticle Total an excellent option for cart paths, ornamental beds, retaining walls and other landscape features where weeds grow. In 2015 we saw lots of trial of these products and expect sales to grow in 2016.

#3 FERTILIZER COATINGS – 46 BLACK & AQUICARE™ Wetting Agent
This year WinField rolled out two new fertilizer coatings, 46 Black and Aquicare™ wetting agent, nationwide. 46 Black is a finely ground humate that is bound to fertilizer prills using a proprietary binding agent. This allows the humate to stick to each and every particle in the bag, minimizes dust and allows the humate to easily wash off when it comes in contact with water. On a ton of fertilizer, 50-60 lbs of humate can be bonded to the fertilizer. Aquicare™ wetting agent improves the movement and retention of water in soils. The combination of these two products improves the water and nutrient retention in soils. Through binding these materials to fertilizer, WinField has made the delivery of these two technologies easier. This year we saw significant growth of fertilizer with these coatings, with sales up 3.5 times.

#2 XZEMPLAR
Dollar Spot is an ever growing problem for many golf courses around the country. Xzemplar from BASF is a new Carboximde fungicide on the market that was released in 2014. It is both a fast acting curative product and long term preventative for dollar spot. In many cases we saw dollar spot control for over one month. Xzemplar also controls diseases such as brown patch and snow mold. This year we saw 2 times the sales growth, with several customers moving from trial to broad spectrum use.

#1 ANUEW
In 2015, Nufarm launched Anuew, a plant growth regulator for cool and warm season grasses. The active ingredient, prohexadione calcium, a new active ingredient to the turf market, is designed to reduce turf growth while improving density. During the year we saw longer regulation compared to trinexapac-ethyl applications. Extended regulation led to fewer applications needed to achieve the same results. This year’s purchases were mainly focused on trial of the new product, but if early order is any indication, much more Anuew will be going down in 2016.

That’s my “WinField 5 for 2015.” How do these products compare to your top five? If you test and spray regular crop protection products, drop me a note and let me know if I got it right or what you would add to the list.

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