Helping growers achieve positive results through crop protection requires considerable investment in scientific research and development. But for Syngenta the measure of success is as much about bringing new products to market as it is relationships, be it with growers, agronomists, suppliers or researchers, helping move the industry forward.

If anyone was to ask growers and agronomists in the potato industry about crop protection companies, Syngenta is a name that is mentioned more often than not.

It’s well known that the company sets a very high bar and provides support to the industry to achieve better outcomes – but no matter which way you cook your spuds, its success all boils down to one thing: relationships.

Syngenta offers many products for growers – MIRAVIS® fungicide, AMISTAR® 250SC fungicide, BOXER GOLD® herbicide, RIDOMIL GOLD® 480 SL. But behind these well-known and trusted products is a team that is just as passionate about potatoes as you are.

“It is deeply satisfying,” Tasmania-based Syngenta Territory Sales Manager Wayne Richardson said.

“For me, it’s exciting to work for a company that places potatoes so high on the agenda.”

A team that is passionate about potatoes

Wayne is among a team of equally dedicated Territory Sales Managers and Technical Services Leads at Syngenta who has spent years investing in relationships with growers, agronomists, suppliers and researchers. Wayne said he believed this had resulted in a lot of goodwill flowing both ways.

“We’ve got a long history of having close relationships with industry and growers directly through what we do with application technology, our technical team and the people on the ground, as well as the salespeople like myself,” he said.

“We’re always bringing new products to the market that are quickly adopted by growers because they’ve demonstrated a great fit.

“It helps when Syngenta is able to deliver a product like MIRAVIS®. Growers consistently report 7-14 days of added green leaf retention through the management of target spot.

“Those last 10 days in the crop are when you’re putting on all your tuber bulking, which can add tonnes to your crop.”

Delivering results for potato growers

Tom Brown from Serve-Ag in Bridgewater, Tasmania, says his primary client is a fresh market producer whose fungicide crop protection program is heavily geared towards Syngenta products.

“From the start point they’re using VIBRANCE® Premium and AMISTAR® 250SC, which form the backbone of our protectant strategy,” Tom explained.

“Post-planting, we’ve been extremely happy with the performance of MIRAVIS® for target spot control, which has been a key product over the course of the last two seasons. That disease for us is our number one pressure in-crop and we’ve had really good late season control.”

Stuart Millwood from Nutrien Ag Solutions.

In Prospect, Tasmania, Stuart Millwood from Nutrien Ag Solutions attributed the uptake of Syngenta products to the way its people work with him and his growers.

“We’re lucky in that we have a good local rep in Tasmania (Wayne Richardson), who helps growers keep abreast of the latest technology and product solutions and make that transition to the field,” he said.

“It is a global R&D company that has a full range of products for potato production in Tasmania – the workshops and demo days are certainly beneficial in that regard.”

Focus on collaboration

Elsewhere in Australia, there’s more evidence of this collaborative approach.

According to Lachlan Hauser from Hauser Farms in the Lockyer Valley, his farm has benefited from new technologies.

“We started using VIBRANCE® Premium four years ago after I went to a Potato Partners get-together in Adelaide. It’s been a big contributor to the increase in quality of our commercial yields and particularly our own stored seed,” Lachlan said.

Lachlan Hauser uses a lot of Syngenta products from seed treatment to herbicides and fungicides.

Lachlan spoke of his region’s unique growing challenges; while fewer potatoes are grown in Queensland, he attributes some of the crop success to high performing products and his supportive local rep, Fiona Neville.

“I’ve got a good relationship with Fiona, so if anything new comes out, we try it,” he said.

“We grow during autumn and winter, and harvest towards the end of winter into spring and summer. As such, we can get a lot of target spot/early blight pressure coming into the end of spring when we get the first of the thundery showers of the season.

“With green leaf retention MIRAVIS® has really assisted towards the crop health, prolonging the life of the canopy, in turn increasing yields – it’s been a game changer.

“We use a lot of different products from seed treatment to herbicides and fungicides that are reliable and highly compatible with a range of other insecticides, fungicides and foliar nutrients.

“We don’t have any problems with it. It works.”

As testimonials go, “It works” is at the forefront and underlies Syngenta’s commitment to the Australian potato industry with the best quality products, services and people.

It’s a commitment forged on the back of over a decade of positive relationship building in the industry, and one it maintains with ongoing research, development and training already in play for 2021 and 2022.

Find out more

Please visit click here to sign up to Syngenta Potato News.