While Goliath XP fungicide’s name may new to some golf course superintendents, it’s chemistry certainly is not.
Introduced to the turf market by United Phosphorus Inc. (UPI) in May 2016. Goliath XP is a blend of azoxystrobin, the active ingredient in Heritage, and propiconazole, which is known commercially as Banner.
Rutgers Turf Pathologist Dr. Bruce Clarke and his team of researchers have been working with Goliath XP for three years and have tested it primarily against dollar spot and brown patch.
“When you put (azoxystrobin and propiconazole) together, you get broader spectrum control than with the individual products alone,” he says. “This is a generic version for what is currently out there as Headway from Syngenta so it’s not a new product; it’s genetic formulation of an existing product.”
In 2016 Clarke and his team worked with Goliath alone, reapplying at 14 and 21-day intervals. “It worked very well for dollar spot control, it worked well for brown patch control,” he says.
“In 2017, we started looking at it in a rotational strategy with other products in a program that UPI put out and that worked very well,” Clarke adds. “We had excellent results with the when it was used alone, we had excellent results when it was used in rotation with other products in a program.”
Clarke is impressed with Goliath XP’s effectiveness when it’s incorporated as part of an all-encompassing fungicide program. “It’s a good partner in terms of a superintendent’s rotational strategy and to prevent resistance from developing resistance and for improving the spectrum of diseases (the manufacturer) wants to control.”
Goliath XP’s label touts it is effective against 25 diseases, ranging from anthracnose to fairy ring, to Pythium blight, to pink and gray snow mold among others. But Clarke is quick to point out that he and his team only measured the product’s effectiveness against brown patch and dollar spot.
“Basically, we’re looking to see if this generic formulation is effective at controlling the diseases on the label,” he says. “Having said that, we’ve only looked at (brown patch and dollar spot), so I can’t really speculate so I can’t really speculate on how effective it is for the other diseases but for dollar spot and brown patch (It is effective) either when used alone or used in a rotational program with other fungicides.”
Application parameters for Goliath XP vary depending on the issue the superintendent is dealing with. Generally speaking, the application rate is 1.5-3 fluid ounces per 1,000 square feet with an application interval of somewhere between 14-28 days.
The notable exceptions are pink and gray snow mold. Turf professionals are advised to check the label for the proper application rate and interval for their circumstance.
No fungicide is immune to resistance issues, however Clarke believes blending the two ingredients provides an effective control mechanism.
“I think the benefit of using a product that is a premix of two or more active ingredients is that you reduce the potential for resistance developing,” he says, “and you also broaden the spectrum of control. Those types of products are I think a very effective way for superintendents to manage their diseases responsibly.”
