Using IPM to reduce reliance on fungicides

Prof Fiona Burnett, SRUC told the audience of arable farmers, agronomists and industry: “These other more sustainable ways of managing our crops is where we have to be. Clearly it is where the political direction is pointing but actually, where our own necessity sits as well.”

Reliance

Dr Neil Havis, SRUC agreed: “We need to do everything possible to reduce the disease risk and the reliance on fungicides. We need to consider a whole range of factors: varieties, certified seed, rotations, sowing dates, monitoring surveillance, crop walking, maximising the use of the lowest fungicides as partners while we have them, minimum effective dose, balanced mixtures and limiting use, and alternating chemistry where possible. Fungicide resistance is everyone’s problem.”

With resistance challenges continuing to build, Dr Havis added: “Some mutations of septoria are starting to overwinter so we may face an issue from this in 2020. There was a big decrease in SDHI efficacy against septoria from 2017-2018, however, inexplicably, no further decline was seen in 2018-2019.”