Velum Prime is a true nematicide for use in potato and carrot crops. It contains a mode of action that is different to other nematicides and is based on a liquid formulation that exhibits a favourable environmental profile. Velum Prime is easier to use and applied at a significantly lower dose rate than traditional granules.
In potatoes, Velum Prime is effective against both species of potato cyst nematode (PCN), Globodera rostochiensis and Globodera pallida. Without a host crop to stimulate hatching, nematode populations can remain dormant for decades, so it is important to treat land ahead of the crop at the start of each growing season. Research by AHDB Potatoes suggests that PCN can cause yield losses of up to 35% and costs the sector an average £26m per year in lost output.
In carrots, Velum Prime can be used for the suppression of parasitic nematodes and for the reduction in fanging caused by nematodes. A report by AHDB published in 2016 estimated the yield and or quality losses inflicted on carrot crops by free-living nematodes to be about 10% of the annual crop output, equivalent to roughly £29m a year in lost income.
A liquid nematicide for potatoes and carrots. In potatoes it can be applied in-furrow at planting or as a broadcast spray across the soil surface and then incorporated up to 72 hours before planting. It must be incorporated to a minimum depth of 10 to 20 centimetres.
In carrots, Velum Prime can only be applied as a broadcast spray up to 72 hours before being incorporated to a minimum depth of 10 to 20 centimetres.
| Active substance | 400 g/L fluopyram |
| Formulation | Suspension Concentrate (SC) |
| Pack Size | 5 L |
| Water Volume |
Potatoes 200 - 500 L/ha (can be reducible to 100 L/ha in-furrow only) Carrots 250 - 500 L/ha |
| Buffer Zone | None |
| MAPP | 18880 |
| Crops |
Potatoes and Carrots |
| Max. individual dose | 0.625 L/ha |
| Max. number of treatments |
Potatoes: One per year in furrow or one per 3 years via broadcast spray Carrots: One per 2 years via broadcast spray |
| Calendar Timing | Potatoes: Broadcast and incorporate: Apply February - June In-furrow: No restriction Carrots: Braodcast and Incorporate: Apply February - June |
| Latest time of application |
Before or at planting/drilling |
The central appeal of Velum Prime is the flexibility it brings to yield protection and population management. The absence of a restrictive maximum residue limit or harvest interval means Velum Prime can be used with all crop types, from long-season potatoes to short-season salads. Similarly, it can be used on all commercial varieties of carrot.
For potatoes under high pressure situations, yields are optimised when Velum Prime is applied with a granular nematicide at half rate.
For carrots, the best protection was achieved from a standalone application of Velum Prime. Its easy-to-handle packaging and low application rate mean there are fewer containers to handle at application and less waste to manage afterwards.
On every soil type, crop type and level of infestation across Great Britain, Velum Prime has been shown to protect yields and manage populations making it an essential part of an integrated approach to pest management that will help secure land for the viable production of carrots and potatoes for the long-term.
Nematicides are an essential means of slowing the rate of population increase after harvest. Without a nematicide, the population, as measured in egg counts, would be many times that recorded before the crop is sown or planted. Using a nematicide has the potential to see land brought back into production earlier than might otherwise be achievable.
The effectiveness of a nematicide in limiting the rate of increase in population is measured by the ratio of final population (Pf) to the initial population (Pi). Across 33 trials conducted between 2012 and 2020, the population management performance of Velum Prime (fluopyram) was compared with Vydate (oxamyl) with the result given as relative to the untreated.
On average, the population in the untreated control increased more than fivefold, i.e., a Pf:Pi ration of 5.5. In contrast, Velum Prime and Vydate limited the population increase to 3.8 times the initial population, a reduction of 31% compared with the untreated.
It is for the grower to decide what level of yield protection is needed and how this may be best achieved in practice. In higher pressure situations, this may be best achieved by the use of Velum Prime in sequence with a granular nematicide. In lower pressure situations, Velum Prime applied alone may provide sufficient protection.
Chart 1 below shows the yield protection and population management delivered by Velum Prime when applied alone and in sequence with a granular nematicide. Across 18 UK trials conducted between 2016 and 2020 on sites selected specifically for their higher pressure, Velum Prime alone delivered an average yield increase over the untreated of 3.1 t/ha. When applied in sequence with Nemathorin (fosthizate) at half-rate, Velum Prime increased yields by 1 t/ha over that achieved by Nemathorin applied alone at the higher rate of 30 kg/ha.
The yield protection delivered by Velum Prime used alone is an average of that seen when applied by the in-furrow and broadcast spray methods. Where Velum Prime is applied in sequence with a granule, it is applied in-furrow at the time of planting.
In carrots, as in potatoes, the use of nematicides is often essential to protecting yields in the face of pressure from parasitic nematodes. In carrots, the application of Velum Prime resulted in yields significantly higher than the untreated crops.
Chart 2 below shows the yield protection delivered by Velum Prime across 15 UK replicated trials conducted between 2012 and 2018. The use of Velum Prime resulted in an average yield gain of 7.1 t/ha over the untreated and 4.7 t/ha over Vydate.
Across the same trials, crops treated with Velum Prime also had a higher proportion of the crop meeting market requirements. As Chart 3 below shows, Velum Prime treated crops produced a marketable yield 7.5% more than the untreated crops. This is similar to that delivered by Vydate.
The use of Velum Prime in carrots was also observed to make an incidental contribution to the control of Sclerotinia.
In 10 UK trials the average post-harvest incidence of Sclerotinia was 55.7%. A soil application of Velum Prime for yield protection in the presence of parasitic nematodes, reduced the incidence of Sclerotinia by 32%.
In comparison, a conventional four-spray programme based on Signum (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) achieved a reduction of 52% relative to the untreated.
Velum Prime applications in carrots must not target Sclerotinia but any contribution to reduced sclerotinia incidence is to be welcomed. Where Velum Prime is applied it counts towards the total foliar SDHI fungicides applied to the crop which means the first foliar spray must belong to another mode of action group.
Velum Prime is effective against both species of potato cyst nematode (PCN): Yellow potato cyst nematode (Globodera rostochiensis) and white potato cyst nematode (Globodera pallida). However, in soils with high organic matter, control of Globodera pallida may be less than that achieved in other soil types.
Velum Prime can be used for the suppression of plant parasitic nematodes and for the reduction of fanging caused by nematodes.
Under an extension of authorisation for minor use (EAMU), Velum Prime can be applied to parsnip crops for the control of free-living nematodes (Pratylenchus spp., Trichodorus spp., Paratrichodorus spp.). The grower must be in possession of the EAMU before application to parsnip crops can be performed.
| EAMU | Crops | Maximum individual dose (litres/ha) | Maximum total dose | Maximum number of treatments | Latest time of application |
| 0288 of 2021 | Outdoor parsnip | 0.625 | - | 1 every 2 years | at drilling |
APPLICATION METHOD AND TIMING
Do not apply more than 250 g/ha Fluopyram via soil treatment per calendar year.
Broadcast spray applications are restricted to potatoes once every three years and to carrots and parsnips once every two years.
Velum Prime can be applied by two methods.
Broadcast: Between February and June, Velum can be applied as a broadcast spray up to a maximum of 72 hours before planting in 200-500 litres of water per hectare. It must then be incorporated to a depth of 10-20 centimetres. The broadcast spray can be applied either via a conventional boom sprayer or from an application system mounted to the same tractor as the tilling machine. It must be applied to the whole field ahead of cultivations or bed tilling.
In-Furrow: Velum Prime can also be applied as an in-furrow spray in 200-500 litres of water per hectare using on-planter application technology. It is important to direct spray into the planting furrow and not onto the seed tuber. Application should be made using two nozzles per row; one at the front of the planting share and directed down into the furrow and the second at the rear of the share and directed so to spray the soil as it closes around the planted furrow.
If the crop is intended for processing consult the processor before use
Apply Velum Prime as a broadcast spray between February and June up to a maximum of 72 hours prior to drilling in 250–500 litres of water per hectare.
It is essential that Velum Prime is thoroughly and evenly incorporated into the soil to a minimum depth of 10-20 centimetres, prior to drilling. Thorough incorporation of Velum Prime should be made by a rotavator or bed forming cultivation.
In situations where a de-stoned /de-clodded tilth is required, Velum Prime should always be applied to the de-stoned beds prior to bed-forming. Where front mounted sprayer systems are used, soil incorporation by the bed-former occurs immediately after application.
Where these systems are not available, Velum Prime will be applied to the de-stoned beds using a conventional boom sprayer, again in advance of the bed forming operation.
For crops drilled ‘on the flat’ (not de-stoned and not into beds) product application should be made by a conventional boom sprayer prior to power harrowing to a depth of 10–20 cm. Where a conventional boom sprayer has been used to apply the product to either the de-stoned beds or the flat soil surface, the soil incorporation must be made up to a maximum of 72 hours prior to drilling.
If the crop is intended for processing consult the processor before the use of Velum Prime.
Cardoons, celeries, Florence fennels and crops belonging to the category ‘other stem vegetables’ cannot be grown as succeeding crops.
Velum Prime may be used on all commercial varieties of potato, carrot and parsnip. While no additional data (crop safety and efficacy) has been provided, crops grown under plastic can be treated at the grower’s risk.
Velum Prime contains fluopyram (pyridinyl-ethyl-benzamide). As nematicides are not included in the mode of action classification scheme of IRAC, fluopyram is not assigned to any mode of action class by IRAC. However, fluopyram also controls certain plant pathogens and is classified by FRAC as a member of the Succinate-Dehydrogenase Inhibitor (SDHI) group of fungicides. A resistance management strategy in the crops where Velum Prime is applied also requires consideration of uses of other SDHIs for disease control.
Velum Prime contains an active ingredient with a new mode of action for use as a nematicide. The resistance risk in nematodes is considered to be low, based on experience of the use of organophosphates.
Where Velum Prime has been applied the first foliar fungicide application made to the crop must not be a member of the SDHI group.
An application of Velum Prime should count to one of the total foliar SDHIs applied to the crop. The first fungicide applied after drilling must belong to a different mode of action group. Velum Prime should not be used to target Sclerotinia.
See the FRAC SDHI Working Group for more information on SDHI fungicides.
