Saturday 26 May 2012
Headlines
Did you find this story interesting? (0) (0)
02/10/2008 14:29:43
A high disease pressure year for brassica growers
With the continuing wet, warm and humid conditions, specialist agronomist John McCulloch of County Crops considers this year to be a particularly high pressure year for a number of diseases in brassicas and lettuce and is concerned about controlling these diseases adequately but without increasing resistance risk.
Advising growers in the North West, John McCulloch says that he has seen more Sclerotinia this year than ever before. "I have seen a lot of it in the usual crops such as lettuce, celery, carrots and oilseed rape and also in some more unusual crops such as calabrese. These high levels can be put down to this year’s terrible weather and high rainfall, which have encouraged Sclerotinia as well as other wet weather diseases including ring spot (Mycosphaerella brassicola), white blister (Albugo candida) and Botrytis," says John.
John advises his growers to adopt an appropriate fungicide programme, but with fungicide resistance and crop safety being top of mind. "We need to produce high quality vegetable brassicas with good visual appeal and this means no blemishes caused by disease. This means starting the programme early with a fungicide such as Signum. Signum is a marvellous fungicide but it needs to be used at the right time which is early, rather than late. It can be mixed with a triazole as part of a resistance strategy and then followed by other fungicides with different modes of action. It also is a benign product when it comes to crop safety. You want to avoid any treatment that could dewax the crop. County Crops have nine weather stations that help flag up when disease prevention measures are needed and make sure that we use fungicides only when necessary," advises John.
Signum is also advised as the first spray in outdoor lettuce crops. "It gives an excellent start to the programme, being active against all the key lettuce diseases including Sclerotinia and Botrytis, with good activity on mildew too. It is usually followed by a metalaxyl-containing fungicide and then Invader (dimethomorph + mancozeb). In lettuce and indeed in vegetable brassica crops, it is so important to minimise any resistance pressure on any one fungicide group. We already have resistance to metalaxyl in Botrytis."
Mr. McCulloch points out that there are fewer and fewer effective products from which to choose. "If the EU decides to limit this any further in the future, we could be in a very difficult situation, not just in controlling diseases or weeds but in growing vegetable and salad crops in the UK altogether. It is vital that we retain the armoury of products that we have for these important food crops."
"Signum is regarded as an excellent fungicide for the control of all the important brassica diseases - dark leaf spot and white blister plus useful control of ringspot. Both actives in the product, boscalid and pyraclostrobin, also have activity on powdery mildew. This broad-spectrum control makes Signum a key brassica fungicide and one well accepted by growers and retailers alike," says Simon Townsend, Product Stewardship Manager for BASF.
BASF advise Signum should be applied in both brassicas and lettuce as a protectant before the first signs of disease. In brassicas the dose rate is 1 kg/ha in water volumes of 200 litres and in lettuce 1.5 kg/ha in water volumes of 200 to 900 litres. Further sprays can be made at 3 to 4 week intervals, alternating with products from a different resistance group. In lettuce Signum can be applied from the 1st of April up until the 31st October.
Background Notes - Signum contains 267g/kg boscalid and 67g/kg pyraclostrobin, formulated as a WDG. It is a protectant and systemic fungicide. It is recommended in Brussels Sprouts for the control of white blister (Albugo candida) and ringspot (Mycosphaerella brassicola) and in cabbage and cauliflower for the control of dark leaf spot (Alternaria brassicae) and ringspot. It is applied as a protectant spray or at first signs of disease at a dose rate of 1 kg/ha in a minimum of 200 litres of water. Further sprays can be made at 3 to 4 week intervals. It has a harvest interval of 14 days in brassicas.
Signum is also recommended in outdoor and protected lettuce for the control of Sclerotinia spp, Rhizoctonia solani and Botrytis cinerea. It is applied from 1-2 weeks after planting at a dose rate of 1.5 kg/ha in 200-900 litres of water. Two applications can be made to the crop. Signum can be applied to outdoor and protected lettuce between the 1st April and 31st October. No more than 6 kg/ha of Signum can be applied to the same area of land per year. It has a harvest interval of 14 days in lettuce.
Signum has 11 SOLAs covering more than 20 crops including many protected leafy herbs, protected and outdoor leafy brassica crops grown for baby leaf production.
For further comment and information please contact Simon Townsend, BASF on 01845 537072
 |
Advising growers in the North West, John McCulloch says that he has seen more Sclerotinia this year than ever before. "I have seen a lot of it in the usual crops such as lettuce, celery, carrots and oilseed rape and also in some more unusual crops such as calabrese. These high levels can be put down to this year’s terrible weather and high rainfall, which have encouraged Sclerotinia as well as other wet weather diseases including ring spot (Mycosphaerella brassicola), white blister (Albugo candida) and Botrytis," says John.
John advises his growers to adopt an appropriate fungicide programme, but with fungicide resistance and crop safety being top of mind. "We need to produce high quality vegetable brassicas with good visual appeal and this means no blemishes caused by disease. This means starting the programme early with a fungicide such as Signum. Signum is a marvellous fungicide but it needs to be used at the right time which is early, rather than late. It can be mixed with a triazole as part of a resistance strategy and then followed by other fungicides with different modes of action. It also is a benign product when it comes to crop safety. You want to avoid any treatment that could dewax the crop. County Crops have nine weather stations that help flag up when disease prevention measures are needed and make sure that we use fungicides only when necessary," advises John.
Signum is also advised as the first spray in outdoor lettuce crops. "It gives an excellent start to the programme, being active against all the key lettuce diseases including Sclerotinia and Botrytis, with good activity on mildew too. It is usually followed by a metalaxyl-containing fungicide and then Invader (dimethomorph + mancozeb). In lettuce and indeed in vegetable brassica crops, it is so important to minimise any resistance pressure on any one fungicide group. We already have resistance to metalaxyl in Botrytis."
Mr. McCulloch points out that there are fewer and fewer effective products from which to choose. "If the EU decides to limit this any further in the future, we could be in a very difficult situation, not just in controlling diseases or weeds but in growing vegetable and salad crops in the UK altogether. It is vital that we retain the armoury of products that we have for these important food crops."
"Signum is regarded as an excellent fungicide for the control of all the important brassica diseases - dark leaf spot and white blister plus useful control of ringspot. Both actives in the product, boscalid and pyraclostrobin, also have activity on powdery mildew. This broad-spectrum control makes Signum a key brassica fungicide and one well accepted by growers and retailers alike," says Simon Townsend, Product Stewardship Manager for BASF.
BASF advise Signum should be applied in both brassicas and lettuce as a protectant before the first signs of disease. In brassicas the dose rate is 1 kg/ha in water volumes of 200 litres and in lettuce 1.5 kg/ha in water volumes of 200 to 900 litres. Further sprays can be made at 3 to 4 week intervals, alternating with products from a different resistance group. In lettuce Signum can be applied from the 1st of April up until the 31st October.
Background Notes - Signum contains 267g/kg boscalid and 67g/kg pyraclostrobin, formulated as a WDG. It is a protectant and systemic fungicide. It is recommended in Brussels Sprouts for the control of white blister (Albugo candida) and ringspot (Mycosphaerella brassicola) and in cabbage and cauliflower for the control of dark leaf spot (Alternaria brassicae) and ringspot. It is applied as a protectant spray or at first signs of disease at a dose rate of 1 kg/ha in a minimum of 200 litres of water. Further sprays can be made at 3 to 4 week intervals. It has a harvest interval of 14 days in brassicas.
Signum is also recommended in outdoor and protected lettuce for the control of Sclerotinia spp, Rhizoctonia solani and Botrytis cinerea. It is applied from 1-2 weeks after planting at a dose rate of 1.5 kg/ha in 200-900 litres of water. Two applications can be made to the crop. Signum can be applied to outdoor and protected lettuce between the 1st April and 31st October. No more than 6 kg/ha of Signum can be applied to the same area of land per year. It has a harvest interval of 14 days in lettuce.
Signum has 11 SOLAs covering more than 20 crops including many protected leafy herbs, protected and outdoor leafy brassica crops grown for baby leaf production.
For further comment and information please contact Simon Townsend, BASF on 01845 537072
No Comments
Nobody has posted any comments on this story.
|
Farming items for Sale
|
Lamborghini 956 - Chulmleigh(GBP 5940)
Massey Ferguson 250 For Sale - Huntingdon
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
John Deere - 6930P TRACTOR 2010 - norwich
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
Case IH MX110 - Launceston(GBP 13950)
John Deere - 7920 - Thame
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
Related News
High disease risk adds to brassica growers woes - 03 Sep 2007The difficult growing season so far encountered by brassica growers is set to become even worse with high levels of leaf disease prevalent earlier tha...
Brassica growers to get advance warning of disease - 23 Jan 2006UK brassica growers can receive valuable advance warning of key diseases before they hit crops this season - direct to their mobile phones. The Syngen...
Growers face second year of high lodging risks - 21 Feb 2007FOR the second year running winter cereal growers could be staring down the barrel of high lodging pressures this season unless proven control measure...
Brassica growers alert to pest attacks - 05 Sep 2010Rising caterpillar numbers continue to threaten brassica crop quality. After the slow start in crop growth during dull August conditions, damage now c...
New curative powers for brassica disease control - 16 Jul 2007Syngenta has added to the strength of the world's best selling strobilurin fungicide, Amistar. The new approval of Amistar TOP for use in brassica...
Red alert for brassica pests and disease - 28 Jul 2010Brassica growers are facing high risks of pest and disease pressure this season. The Brassica Alert disease and pest forecasting system for brassica c...
Brassica disease risks rise - 07 Oct 2010Significant increases in the UK oilseed rape area could create new disease pressures for vegetable brassica growers, with this season’s Septembe...
Higher Grain Prices Put Pressure On Biomass Competitiveness Says New SAC Report - 05 Apr 2007Rising energy prices and growing government support have encouraged farmers to look closely at alternative non food and biomass crops in recent years...
Early and high Silver Y Moth pressure, try DiPel - 16 Jun 2009A pest that can potentially defoliate brassicas, Silver Y moth has been seen earlier and in higher numbers than normal this season, with growers in th...
New mildewicide welcomed after high pressure season - 01 Mar 2012New mildewicide product, Cosine, approved for powdery mildew control in apples and pears will give growers access to much needed new chemistry for use...
