INDIANAPOLIS, May 13, 2026 —Corteva announced the launch of Verpixo fungicide following registration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Verpixo™ fungicide with Adavelt™ active, a U.S. EPA reduced risk chemistry, provides effective control of the U.S. sugarbeet industry’s most economically devastating fungal disease — Cercospora leaf spot (CLS).
Available for the 2026 season, Verpixo fungicide brings a new Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) Group 21 mode of action to protect the quality and yield potential of sugarbeets. It is based on a naturally occurring compound found in soil bacteria and provides broad-spectrum disease control and broadens grower application timing flexibility.
“CLS continues to be one of the most problematic foliar diseases in the sugarbeet industry. In a 2024 survey from the Beet Sugar Development Foundation, the disease would have translated to an economic loss that production year of more than $900 million if left unmanaged,” said Colleen Kent, specialty crops portfolio marketing lead with Corteva. “Extensive lab and in-field testing confirm the efficacy of Verpixo fungicide with Adavelt active against CLS, which can cause up to 30% annual yield loss. We look forward to growers adding it to their fungicide programs this growing season.”
Identified by brown circular spots on infected leaves, the disease restricts a sugarbeet plant’s ability to photosynthesize sunlight into sugar, which is transferred to the beet root to increase sugar content and yield weight — especially during growing seasons when wet and humid weather conditions lead to increased disease pressure.
Resistance management
Because of selection pressure, or when repeated use of the same chemistries contributes to the development of resistance, current fungicides, as well as a novel genetic trait introduced a few years ago offering tolerance to CLS, are now much less effective.
“Whether it is a currently available fungicide or a genetic-tolerant trait, after repeated exposure to the disease over time, resistance management for CLS becomes extremely difficult,” said David Mettler, research agronomist at Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, who works with other research entities to conduct replicated trials across multiple sugarbeet-growing environments to bring technologies like Verpixo fungicide to growers sooner. “CLS can defoliate the plant’s canopy, reducing its photosynthetic capacity and yield potential. Because the disease is polycyclic, it can produce spores multiple times across the same growing season, which requires ongoing in-season control applications.”
Verpixo fungicide with Adavelt active provides translaminar control by disrupting germination of the fungal pathogen on both the top and the bottom of leaf surfaces. Developed by Corteva, Verpixo fungicide is a powerful resistance management solution that offers a new mode of action against ascomycete diseases.
“It’s critically important for growers to manage existing fungicides that are beginning to face resistance and losing efficacy,” Kent said. “Verpixo fungicide with Adavelt active has no known resistance, making it ideally suited for resistant management programs. Because of the application flexibility and tank-mix compatibility, it gives sugarbeet farmers more time to manage this disease across the growing season while helping to strengthen their resistance management stewardship.”
The natural origin and favorable environmental characteristics of Verpixo fungicide also support a healthy agricultural ecosystem so beneficial insects can flourish commensurate with an overall Integrated Pest Management program.
To learn more, visit Corteva.us/Verpixo or contact your Corteva territory manager.
