A major boost to crop protection in the UK is ongoing as AHDB invests more than £800,000 in its three-year project to provide important data on how well fragrants work against major crop diseases.
Following the competitive bidding process, the consortium, including Harper Adams University, NIAB and Rural University of Scotland (SRUC), maintains and manages a long-standing fungicide performance project, one of AHDB’s biggest initiatives after the recommendation list.
This project generates essential and unbiased data on the effectiveness of fungicides used to control major leaf and ear/pod diseases in wheat, barley and oil seeds rape.
The findings help farmers and agriculture scholars develop tailored sterilization programs using the most effective active ingredients and mixtures based on the threat of local disease.
Georgia Hassel, who manages programs at AHDB, said:
“In 2015, we united a trial series of wheat, barley and oil-leaf rape within a single program that continues today.”
Tests are conducted annually across the UK and Scotland, increasing pressure for hyper-disease.
The consortium is also working with Teagasc in the Republic of Ireland to pool dose-response data to ensure broader reliability and compensation.
Thanks to years of relationships with disinfectant manufacturers, the team is well suited to sourcing and assessing new products prior to commercial releases.
This allows for the release of efficacy data as soon as the fungicide is approved by the regulatory authorities, supporting early adoption of the most effective treatment.
This trial provides important long-term resources for tracking changes in fungicide performance, including reduced efficacy of strovirlin in the early 2000s, gradually decreased efficacy of azole, and recent developments in SDHI performance.
The main findings are presented annually at the AHDB Agricultural Conference in December.
