• News
• General
• Medallion TL approval for Ireland

The eagerly anticipated Syngenta Contact⁺ fungicide active for turf, Medallion TL, has gained approval for use by turf managers in Ireland. Medallion TL not only quickly and effectively targets disease pathogens on the leaf surface, but has the same effect on Fusarium disease spores in the thatch layer and the soil surface, according to Syngenta Technical Manager, Dr Simon Watson.

Medallion TL is approved for use by golf course superintendents across all areas of the golf course, as well as professional groundsmen of managed amenity turf - including soccer, rugby, Gaelic football and hurling pitches.

"Medallion TL will change the way we think about disease control, not only protecting from disease infection, but also reducing disease spore numbers and lowering the risk of further infection," according to Dr Watson. "That makes it incredibly effective in its primary role as an autumn and winter Contact⁺ treatment."

Dr Watson added that it is the additional activity in thatch and soil surface that gives Medallion TL its Contact⁺ credentials. "The disease threat is ever present in the thatch layer, with spores living on decaying material and roots and waiting for the right conditions to flare up. Medallion TL gives us a powerful new chance to stop that occurring."

The experiences of UK golf course and football stadia managers have highlighted the excellent long-lasting disease control, through an extensive user trials programme and since the fungicide's launch in the spring. In independent trials Medallion TL was still giving over 99.5% disease control when assessed at the end of February, three months after the end of a spray programme through late autumn and early winter - even under very high disease pressure and testing conditions of prolonged snow cover. On untreated turf in the trial over 25% of the area was affected by Fusarium, with serious implications for playing quality and spring recovery.     

Click on the image to download a copy of the Medallion TL brochure

Dr Watson highlights that Medallion TL has an innovative new mode of action for turf, which triggers treated disease spores to rapidly absorb water, to the point where they quite literally explode (watch the video here). "This happens so quickly there is no time for the spore to grow and infect the leaf, thus preventing damage to the surface and reducing subsequent threat.

"And since Medallion TL was bio-inspired by a naturally occurring antifungal compound of soil bacteria, it will destroy selected turf disease pathogens, but leave soil microbes with different protein structures unaffected," he advised. "We see this as a really exciting opportunity to develop new disease control strategies."

Medallion TL should be applied at a rate of 3.0 l/ha in a water volume of 125 - 500 l/ha, with up to four applications per year. For optimum results Dr Watson advocates the use of drift-reducing Syngenta Turf Foliar Nozzles, to ensure good spray retention on the leaf and delivering effective results in the thatch. "Our application trials have shown using lower water volumes will maximise sprayer efficiency and optimise spray timing, as well as delivering better spray retention in the target area," he adds. Medallion TL will be supplied in the unique Syngenta S-pac for easy handling and efficient rinsing and recycling.

Colman Warde, Ireland Country Manager for Everris (formerly known as Scotts) and distributors of the product, said: "We are extremely excited that Medallion TL has now gained approval for Ireland. The experience and feedback we've received so far has been incredible. With all our experience within the fungicide market, we have never seen such anticipation for a new fungicide technology."