Expert optimistic on fungicide resistance

As all cereal growers know, catastrophic weather events are the single biggest threat to yields. Disruption can last for months, along with loss of income. Short of the safety net of insurance, there’s not a lot that can be done about it.

Global experts say there is another adverse factor close behind weather in terms of impact that we do have the tools to combat – fungicide resistance. In recent years, New Zealand has experienced resistance to chemistries that have been relied on for generations, raising a red flag for careful management to protect existing and new chemistries. At the forefront of this science is fungicide authority and ADAMA UK Technical Specialist Andy Bailey. Speaking from his home in England, Andy, who has visited New Zealand twice to learn from local experience and share his knowledge, says the science is available to address the issue of resistance but it is still a challenge. “The new chemistry is brilliant, but for how long? It’s all about how we can protect these single-site chemistries and their efficacy,” he says. Andy advocates including multi-site protectants such as ADAMA New Zealand’s Phoenix® Fungicide (Phoenix) in spray programmes. “Multi-site fungicides should be the first thing in the tank. Folpet, the active in Phoenix, is definitely extending the life of single-site chemistry. There is no known resistance to folpet anywhere in the world.” Andy says with all resistance, the first thing to go is the curative effect. Then doses tend to be increased to achieve field control. “Single-sites are still badly exposed to fungi’s ability to mutate. I tell people; folpet will do the same year after year after year. New chemistry will do extremely well, but then we’ll start to see erosion because it’s still single-site,” he says. ADAMA New Zealand Commercial Manager Daren Mabey says the new single-site chemistry on the market, including Questar, Revystar, Vimoy Iblon and Caley Iblon, can be protected by Phoenix. “What’s important here is to think about the future, to learn from overseas experience and to take action now before we suffer other severe control issues.” ADAMA New Zealand says for Septoria, application at T1 with a DMI such as Bolide® is strongly recommended and supported by industry bodies. If only one spray of Phoenix is being applied in barley, T2 is the optimum timing. This ensures that leaves 2 and 3 are protected. For best results though, a programmed approach shows even higher levels of Ramularia control when using Phoenix at both T1 and T2. These applications maximise the crop’s green leaf area index to maximise yields by promoting healthy spikelet and ear development. Phoenix can now be used in greenfeed crops and up to GS 39 in wheat and GS 59 in barley. Bolide can be used at all critical growth stages of both crops but treated crops should not be grazed or fed within 42 days of application.

| Protecting existing and new tools is vital for cereal growers.

For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by ADAMA NZ Ltd

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