Spring 2026: Fungicide choice is key to getting the most from wheat crops this year
In this TerraChem CropsWatch episode, Robert Beattie is joined by Corteva’s Liz Glynn in a crop of Champion winter wheat in County Dublin, where they assess current disease levels and discuss the key decisions ahead of T1.
CropsWatch: T1 Fungicide Strategy Using Inatreq™ Active in Winter Wheat
CropsWatch: T1 Fungicide Strategy Using Inatreq™ Active in Winter Wheat
With Irish wheat crops in good condition despite a wet autumn and winter, independent experts have outlined the importance of responsible use of fungicides in keeping diseases at bay.
Autumn sowings took place during a dry period with full fields across the country, with temperatures remaining mild enough for disease to be controlled.
But as temperatures begin to rise going into the spring, disease control experts from Teagasc and UCD say the next few months will determine how much disease pressure the crops will face.
“Crops went in well in October, and they all came out in some excellent condition,” says Steven Kildea, Principal Research Officer with Teagasc.
“We’ve had full fields, and that’s something that we haven’t had in a few years – previously there’s always been patches here and there.
“The more canopy, the better the crop, but that does mean it could carry more disease, so the next ten weeks or so will determine if that’s going to be an issue or not.”
Tom McCabe, UCD’s crops lecturer, says that the amount of yellow rust found in crops in 2025 was surprising, and is something that growers will need to take into earlier consideration for 2026.
“Last year yellow rust was, geographically, everywhere, which was a big surprise. But growers did very well in tackling it once they knew that the problem was very active.”
Trials work carried out over a number of years at Teagasc and UCD have shown Steven and Tom the consistency delivered by Corteva’s Inatreq active ingredient in fungicides.
“Inatreq as an active is actually very important from a Septoria perspective in Irish wheat crops,” says Steven. “It is one application and that’s all that can be used in the crop, one application of Inatreq, so we have to use it wisely.
“Septoria is always going to be our biggest problem, so having the best actives that are available to use and to be able to use them is critical so we can take some pressure off some of the other actives such as the azoles and SDHIs.”
Tom adds: “Inatreq has very consistently been at 80% efficacy right from its trials nearly a decade ago, and it’s continued that level efficacy right the way to 2026.
“My preference for application timing for Inatreq would be T2 because it’s the strongest efficacy product, and the best performing product. Its robust activity on the main diseases found in Irish wheat fields means green leaf area is maximised, laying the foundations for greater yields.”
Steven says: “From our perspective, we don’t mind whether Inatreq is applied at T1 or T2, it’s more of a case of if you are going to use it, use it wisely. Getting it on in time is critical, whether that be at T1 or T2, and that’s what’s more important – that it is included in that type of programme so that we’re using and diversifying the available actives that we have.”
As well as Septoria, Inatreq-based products can be used to tackle yellow rust.
“From a yellow rust perspective, what we find is that if we’re in a protected environment, the major chemistry that we’re using for a Septoria type programme – so Inatreq-based products – will be providing control of yellow rust,” says Steven.
“When we’re trying to get into our programme for Septoria control, we want to be in a scenario where yellow rust isn’t a problem. So, from that aspect, we’re thinking of yellow rust that little bit earlier at T0, trying to make sure that when we move to T1, we’re not worrying too much about yellow rust because the main products that we’re using for Septoria will give that protection.”
Inatreq-based products, including Univoq, Questar, Aquino, and Peacoq, can be applied to all varieties of wheat, durum wheat, rye, triticale and spelt, providing robust control of septoria and rusts.
“Key to the longevity of the Inatreq molecule is resistance management, and we only allow one application per season, per crop,” says Liz Glynn, National Field Technical Manager for Corteva in Ireland.
“Other key modes of action must be included in the programme and used wisely to reduce the susceptibility of isolates developing resistance to the limited fungicide chemistry at our disposal.”
A video featuring Steven and Tom giving their outlook for the 2026 season so far has been released and can be seen below.
Spring 2026: Fungicide choice is key to getting the most from wheat crops this year
Steven Kildea (Principal Research Officer, Teagasc) and Tom McCabe (Crops Lecturer, UCD) share their outlook on disease pressure this spring and why fungicide choice, timing and resistance management will be critical for Irish wheat crops. Learn mor
Spring 2026: Fungicide choice is key to getting the most from wheat crops this year
Steven Kildea (Principal Research Officer, Teagasc) and Tom McCabe (Crops Lecturer, UCD) share their outlook on disease pressure this spring and why fungicide choice, timing and resistance management will be critical for Irish wheat crops. Learn mor
Inatreq™ active, available in brands Univoq™, Aquino™, Peacoq™ and Questar™ provides curative activity alongside persistent control of Septoria making it the fungicide product of choice at T2.
Best practice application advive and €200 stewardship support offer
Corteva’s best practice application advice will enable growers to benefit from the unique and outstanding performance of Corteva products containing Inatreq with confidence. We also recently announced our €200 stewardship support offer to further support growers and sprayer operators - start your claim here.
For enquiries and additional information, contact:
For enquiries, contact Terrachem on: +353 87 254 7534 or email: info@terrachem.ie, or call the Corteva technical hotline: +44 800 689 8899 or e-mail: ukhotline@corteva.com. You can also contact: Liz Glynn - National Field Technical Manager. Mobile: 086 844 5306 / liz.glynn@corteva.com.
More about Corteva's Inatreq™ active molecule:
Inatreq active has undergone decades of work by some of the brightest minds in global crop protection product development.
With novel sites of action being increasingly hard to discover, Corteva’s scientists turned to nature to discover Inatreq. The new molecule is derived from a natural compound, UK-2A, produced through fermentation and converted to Inatreq through a single step modification after fermentation to enhance stability and offer long term protection.
Inatreq is converted back to UK-2A both inside plants and in the presence of fungi. It binds to the quinone inside inhibitor in the fungal pathogen – a different site to all other cereal fungicides on the market, giving it a unique site of action.
Curative properties tackle latent Septoria and with the bulk of applications expected at the T2 timing, farmers using Inatreq can expect robust protection lasting four to six weeks.
Outstanding control of Septoria will be noted by farmers and advisors as Inatreq’s key attribute. But the list of qualities is long.
Key Features
- Novel target site in cereal
- Naturally derived, produced by fermentation
- Protectant and curative
- No cross resistance to existing chemistry
- Long-lasting Septoria protection
Learn more about Univoq™ fungicide
Learn more about Univoq™ fungicide
Cropswatch™- What is Inatreq™ active?
In this video Liz Glynn of Corteva Agriscience™ and Robert Beattie of TerraChem discusses Inatreq™ active and how it is available to the Irish market.
Cropswatch™- What is Inatreq™ active?
In this video Liz Glynn of Corteva Agriscience™ and Robert Beattie of TerraChem discusses Inatreq™ active and how it is available to the Irish market.