Crop Protection

Extra Curative Control to Meet Challenging Conditions for Blight

18 July 2024, UK: Potato crops have now been under unprecedented blight pressure for weeks on end. It has put all growers’ strategies under intense strain, to get sufficient applications on the crop in difficult weather conditions.

Repeated frequent applications, to counter the high risk, poses a further challenge for product rotation and mixtures aimed at minimising the risk of resistance developing.

As crops move through flowering into tuber development, focus will need to shift to protecting both foliage that will drive yield, and the tubers themselves from blight infection, advises Syngenta technical manager, Andy Cunningham.

The Syngenta blight fungicides Bedrock and Carial Flex contains built-in resistance blocking chemistry by combining the renowned foliar protection of mandipropamid, with the extra strength of cymoxanil – which also adds further curative activity.

“Independent Euroblight assessment highlights the convenient combination of two actives also enhances the curative activity of the application, compared to straight mandipropamid,” he advises.

“That could prove especially valuable this season, where conditions have seriously interrupted application schedules and inadvertently stretched intervals during high-risk periods. It’s also rainfast in just 15 minutes, that can prove essential in challenging conditions.”

The combination of mandipropamid with cymoxanil has boosted leaf blight rating over Ranman or Infinito, and even straight Revus, in the Euroblight table.   

“With the first cases of blight confirmed as early as the first week of April, it has already been a long season of pressure. Of the 106 cases investigated to date by Fight Against Blight (above), over 90% with a result have been positively confirmed as late blight,” he highlighted.

“That pressure is only going to build with continued wet weather and warmer temperatures raising humidity levels in the crop.”

Growers and agronomists can also use the BlightCast decision support system, available free in the Syngenta MyFIELD app, to receive a localised early warning of blight pressure forecast for the coming 14 days. 

BlightCast app also now includes data of the previous 14 days’ conditions for blight infection, which further helps decision making on when and where the curative activity of Bedrock and Carial Flex can best be utilised.         

Andy advocates that for dense crops at full leaf canopy, application techniques that can increase blight spray penetration through the leaf structure will be crucial to protect the whole plant. 

“All sprays should now be applied using the Syngenta 3D ninety nozzle.” 

“The larger droplet spectrum and the angled spray pattern assures better leaf and stem coverage throughout the crop, using a water volume of at least 200 l/ha.”

The revolutionary 90% drift reduction technology of the 3D ninety nozzle can also help achieve more timely application in interrupted spray schedule, he adds. 

“The techniques and advice have consistently proven to deliver improved disease control in repeated years of Eurofins trials in the UK under high blight pressure conditions.”

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