New tool, familiar fight: Verpixo™ fungicide brings a new mode of action forsugar beet disease management
Written by: Corteva Agriscience
Sugar beet growers know the battle. Year after year, Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) emerges as one of the industry’s most relentless threats, robbing fields of yield potential and recoverable sugar. Left unmanaged, the disease can spread rapidly across a crop, turning healthy canopies into a significant drain on profitability.
This fungal disease thrives when warm temperatures, humidity and moisture align, often becoming a concern from late June through the summer months. Once established, CLS can persist throughout the season, requiring growers toremain vigilant and maintain a strong disease management program.
“The challenge with Cercospora is that it doesn’t stop,” said Grant Harms, Corteva Agriscience technical field agronomist. “You may protect the crop for a period of time, but new spores continue to develop and spread throughout the season.”
The stakes are high. Industry research estimates that poor CLS management could lead to multimillion-dollar losses across the sugar beet industry. To help growers stay ahead of this persistent threat, Corteva Agriscience is introducing Verpixo™ fungicide for the 2026 growing season. Powered by Adavelt™ active, a new FRAC Group 21 active ingredient, Verpixo fungicide delivers a new mode of action for sugar beet disease control and provides growers with an important new tool in the fight against CLS.
“This is the first new mode of action for Cercospora management in sugar beets since 2004,” Harms said. “Growers understand how important resistance management is, and having access to a new FRAC group provides another valuable tool for their programs.”
Adavelt active has been thoroughly tested and evaluated by universities, researchers and sugar beet cooperators throughout the region before it became commercially available.
Verpixo fungicide is labeled for the control of CLS and powdery mildew and is expected to fit well within existing fungicide programs. Corteva recommends incorporating Verpixo fungicide as part of an integrated disease management strategy and tank-mixing with EBDC fungicides to help manage resistance and maximize performance. Many sugar beet fungicide programs include three to seven applications throughout the season, with Verpixo fungicide often fitting around the second, third or fourth spray timing, depending on local recommendations and disease pressure.
Following state registrations, Verpixo fungicide is available for the 2026 season.
As growers gear up for another CLS management season, Corteva is proud to introduce this innovation. Verpixo fungicide brings the first new mode of action in more than 20 years to support long-term sugar beet yield and sugar production potential. Learn more at Corteva.us/Verpixo.
™ Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. Verpixo™ is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Adavelt™ is a registered active ingredient. Always read and follow label directions. ©2026 Corteva. 036350 BR (07/26) CAAG26CPRO01287-01
