Potato Review

CROP PROTECTION is on a par with current market standards including Infinitio and Ranman Top. Expected for approval in late 2021, Revysol (mefentrifluconazole) will now be available for use in potatoes. The Isopropanol-Azole was first introduced to the market in 2019 for cereals and has since been developed to support disease control with early blight. Growers will be able to apply up to three applications from mid-July, at a minimum of seven-day intervals from formation of basal side shoots to senescence: BBCH 20-97. BASF trials with the fungicide have delivered an average blight reduction of 91.2% compared to difenoconazole, which delivered 79.6%. Nemaslug® 2.0 is a new Mollusc parasitic nematode (Phasmarhabditis californica) but still has comparable hosts spectrum as the original Nemaslug®, with a refined production process to increase yield, giving an improved continuity of supply. A higher concentration on infective juvenile loading meets BASF’s wider objective of delivering sustainable crop protection products, with smaller packaging, reducing the plastic requirements by 32.5%. Already approved, and likely to be available for the 2023 planting season, Honesty ( fluxapyroxad) is a tuber treatment with strong control for Rhizoctonia, Silver Scurf, Black Dot, and promising activity against Dry Rot, Gangrene and more. Paul believes the new SDHI could be a real game changer for the industry. “We are really excited about Honesty as it complements ALLSTAR®, which also has strong control of rhizoctonia in-furrow treatment. Its mode of actions gives it mobility in the plant, giving maximum potential for control,” he said. “It offers growers with another alternative to their programme, and has the potential to change the way the industry thinks about their crop protection.” In addition to fungicides and tuber treatments, BASF will be bringing to market, subject to approval in late 2022, a pre-emergence herbicide, BAS656 (Dimethenamid-p), with a new mixer product mode of action, and in 2023, BAS480051, a biological for wireworm damage. They will also be the first in Europe to launch Axalion®, an insecticide developed in-house by BASF with no cross-resistance and a new mode of action. Expected in 2024, it will control piercing and sucking pests such as Aphids, Whitefly and Thrips. BASF has been committed to research and development in the speciality sector for over two decades, but a combination of a strong pipeline and the launch of their new Perfecting Potatoes Together initiative, is putting them as one of the leaders in the potato sector. Speciality Campaign Manager at BASF Sophia Sutherland said: “The UK market loves a potato! Retail sales are worth over £2.5 billion, and the crop protection market value is circa of £55 million. As an industry we need to be doing everything we can to support growers and that includes accepting that soil will be moved and structure changed so we must look at providing information to support good management, before and after potatoes, to reduce field impacts. “We also understand there are many challenges facing potato growers, and we know that these challenges need a combination of cultural and chemical solutions. By unifying growers, industry experts and BASF professionals we hope to understand the issues better and find solutions together.” The Perfecting Potatoes Initiative is a new platform where growers can find the latest information on sustainable potato farming, access podcasts and online webinars, host trials on their farm, receive agronomic advice from experts and access events and trial tours. Growers wishing to find out more can visit www.agricentre.basf . co.uk/real-results/potatoes. NEXT MONTH: James Bramley, Veg manager at M H Poskitt Ltd, talks to us about the soil sampling, growing challenges, and cover-cropping being carried out by his team in North Lincolnshire. “Whilst there are a wide range of IPM solutions available from trap cropping to wildflower strips, cover crops and sampling for nematodes, the lack of potential research, with the loss of AHDB, could have real consequences for future innovation.” Howard Hinds, Agronomist. Keeping Good Seed Healthy USE PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS SAFELY. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL AND PRODUCT INFORMATION BEFORE USE. Certis, 3 Riverside, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridgeshire CB21 6AD. Telephone: 0845 373 0305 | www.certiseurope.co.uk ©2021 A holistic approach to maximising seed tuber potential www.certiseurope.co.uk/tubercare