Federal officials signed off on a new ingredient key to a lineup of new BASF fungicides on Thursday, paving the way for farmers to access a limited supply of the products in 2012, with a full product roll-out slated for 2013.

For soybeans, Priaxor is the new fungicide that BASF leaders say will control common pests like frogeye leaf spot and supress others like white mold. Merivon is BASF's new fungicide for stone fruit crops like apples and peaches.

Priaxor uses a new mode of action that widens the control window to up to 28 days and, says BASF Market Development Manager Nick Fassler, is part of an effective holistic approach to raising healthy soybeans that includes variety selection, crop rotation and deep tillage.

"I think the people who see the best results from fungicides are those who look at overall plant health," Fassler says. "Priaxor...provides a new standard of soybean disease control to improve yield and maximize a grower's return on investment."

A limited quantity of the new fungicide -- which BASF officials say is also effective on corn diseases and is best utilized in a fungicide program alongside Headline Amp on corn -- will be available to farmers in limited quantities this year, with a full roll-out slated for 2013.