Vegetable agronomists see new innovation
For more information on the Syngenta Vegetable Demonstration site, visit http://www.syngenta-crop.co.uk/pgro/
New innovations in crop protection have exciting potential for vegetable growers over the coming years, according to Syngenta Technical Manager, Jon Ogborn. Speaking at an agronomists' Open Day at the Syngenta Vegetable Whole Crop Agronomy Demonstration Site, located at the PGRO in Cambridgeshire, he highlighted that trials this year will include the company's new fungicide, isopyrazam.
Already available in cereal crops, Mr Ogborn believes it has great potential for use in vegetables, with an alternative mode of action that can be usefully integrated into programmes containing triazole and strobilurin fungicides, such as Amistar Top. "Isopyrazam is a highly active SDHI fungicide that inhibits energy production in the mitochondria of targeted disease pathogens, providing powerful protectant and some curative activity against a wide range of vegetable diseases," he said.
Trials in Holland on Brussels sprouts have shown exceptional results with isopyrazam in controlling Ringspot on the leaf and buttons and outperforming current UK standards, he reported. Research has also shown effective action against Powdery Mildew, along with control of Alternaria, Rusts, Stemphylium and Rhizoctonia. Expected activity against Light Leaf Spot is also being evaluated in the UK.
Mr Ogborn added Syngenta is also looking at the potential for the potato blight fungicide, mandipropamid, in controlling Downy Mildew in lettuce and onions.
For insect control in vegetable crops, there may also be an opportunity for a new active currently under evaluation in fruit. While very effective against Lepidoptera, it is also expected to offer useful action on thrips, which will be of interest to vegetable growers. The new active has shown great promise, with the benefits of a very low rate of use and a short pre-harvest interval. It is regarded as being of low risk to beneficial insects and so ideal for use within an Integrated Pest Management programme.
"Alongside the new product development and in-field trials - some of which growers will see trialled on the Whole Crop Agronomy Demonstration Site over the coming seasons - we are continuing to develop decision support tools such as Brassica Alert, which will go live on the website in July, to aide growers' product choice and timing."
"Further advances with application technology, such as the new Syngenta Vegetable 04 Nozzle, will ensure growers can get the right product, at the right time and in the right place to get the best possible results," he added.
Herbicide challenges
Agronomists at the Open Day were told that weed control will pose the greatest challenges for vegetable growers over the coming years, according to independent researcher and agronomist, Cathy Knott. Finding effective alternatives to the chemistry that has already been lost will be imperative, she said.
And the effect of the Water Framework Directive is set to impose further restrictions, especially in the UK. Additionally, with growers reliant on fewer herbicides they will be used to a greater extent, and with that the potential risk of exceedences of limits for drinking water quality, she warned.
With impending legislative restrictions in herbicide dose rates there will be potential efficacy issues, which will make programmes and tank-mixes even more important in the future, predicted Ms Knott. "The good news is that, with the huge backlog facing the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), some of the current products will remain available for longer."
Of the herbicides currently under evaluation for vegetable growers, Dual Gold is the most widely available for a greater range crops, she said. Key is the crop safety in a wide range of crops, along with the availability of data and experience of widespread use in vegetable crops across Europe and the US. Applications are permitted between 1 March and 31 May, although the cut-off date does limit use in some later brassica and lettuce crops.
"Used alone Dual Gold has been effective on groundsel and nettles," she advised "But in mixtures the weed spectrum can be broadened; Dual Gold plus pendimethalin has looked an especially effective combination to include Fat hen, Nightshade and polygonums." However she added that where pendimethalin is included for French or Runner beans applications must be immediately after sowing to avoid crop damage.
She highlighted that Dual Gold also looks promising pre and post planting in lettuce; although there is not yet a SOLA available, trials to generate residues data are being done. A combination with pendimethalin could also be applied pre-planting - but not post. However, she added that operators will need to be careful with application post-emergence, to avoid overlap dosing on herbicide susceptible varieties, such as Lollo Rosso types.
Ms Knott added that the UK legislative interpretation on restrictions in the use of metazachlor - which is now only available at a limited level one year in three - will create weed control problems in brassicas that will need to be addressed.
Seeds focus on the customer
With the Whole Crop Agronomy Demonstration Site highlighting the Integrated Crop Solutions of the combined Syngenta crop protection and vegetable seeds business, Syngenta UK Vegetable Seeds Business Manager, Gerard Berkhout, reported the company's pioneering breeding developments will bring important agronomic attributes to new varieties. But as well as creating advanced opportunities for growers, they are also looking at the end customer of the consumer, with attributes to enhance freshness, flavour and colour of produce, including brassicas and salads.
The UK was the first country where Syngenta has set up consumer panels, to better understand demands and identify the potential of new breeding lines at the earliest opportunity. "We aim to take consumers' ideas at the start, and then work with the plant breeders to see if they are feasible," said Mr Berkhout. "We get a huge amount of feedback throughout the development stages, so when we get a variety to market growers can be confident that it will find strong demand and good customer satisfaction."
He added that the company's consumer tests and sensory panels have now been replicated in Italy and Germany, where results of consumer feedback are very different; whilst UK consumers are more influenced by colour, Italians are primarily governed by flavour, almost irrespective of appearance, whilst German consumers are more conservative in their approach to fresh produce innovation.
However, whilst the end consumer and market are of crucial importance to the success of any new variety, Mr Berkhout stressed that introductions will always have attributes that will aide the crops' agronomy. "Within Syngenta we have a new focus where we can utilise the strengths of our breeding programme alongside the innovation in crop protection, to provide growers with a complete solution to deliver high yields of quality produce."
In the company's lettuce breeding programmes tackling Downy Mildew is still a main priority. But alongside this, breeders are working on developing varieties of all lettuce types especially suited to mechanical harvesting, which could be a significant advance for UK growers. The commitment of Syngenta in the lettuce market has been shown by the purchase of two lettuce breeding companies in the USA, he added.
For onions the Syngenta breeders' focus is on yield and storability that is such an important sector of the UK market looking for 12-month supply. Mr Berkhout believes there will be new introductions for the 2013 season, along with new leek varieties in the same time frame. "The UK is the only major market for leek varieties for direct sowing, but there is increasing interest in transplanting to get the best possible quality."
Club root resistance is already well established as an incredibly strong attribute of the Syngenta brassica breeding programme, but other disease resistance developments could see enhancements in reducing impact of White Blister and Mycosphaerella, along with new potential against Light Leaf Spot. Within 10 years, Mr Berkhout believes new varieties could show tolerance to some insect pests, such as Lepidoptera. "However, it will be tolerance - not resistance. We see growers using a combination of high tolerance that gives greater flexibility in crop protection use and timing, as well as an important insecticide resistance management tool to help ensure products remain effective for longer."
He added that brassica breeding efforts are also looking at better planning methods to achieve better crop consistency, even maturity and facilitate mechanical harvesting techniques. That includes looking at adaptability for hot weather and dry conditions if weather patterns continue to change.
Current developments could see a new Syngenta broccoli range next year, along with new introductions in a mini-brassica range and further improvements in nutritional quality and colour that could generate new markets. The potential of a super mild Brussels sprout could see all year round production to add bite and flavour to salads, along with increasing the traditional winter market.
Improving fertiliser efficiency
Greater efficiency in the way fertilisers are used and improved agronomic decisions could help farmers take the required steps to reduce carbon emissions and meet Government commitments - which are currently lagging far behind targets, reported Mark Tucker of Yara, co-sponsors of the Vegetable Demonstration Site. He believes a better understanding of the process of N20 release - which is 300 times more polluting than CO2 - could help growers mitigate the effects.
The conversion of fertiliser sourced ammonium into nitrate releases some N20, but if the nitrate converts to nitrite, then releases can be far more significant, he reported. "That is likely to happen quickly if soil becomes waterlogged, creating anaerobic conditions. And it will be greater if there are high levels of nitrate in the soil when it happens.
"That has implications for soil management to avoid anaerobic conditions, including organic matter levels and improved cultivations, as well as fertiliser application rates and timing to minimise the risk of excessive nitrates remaining in the soil."
Mr Tucker also pointed out that whilst urea fertilisers may appear to have a relatively low carbon footprint from their manufacture, they can incur high losses in the field. Where growers increase application rate to allow for 20% loss through volatilisation, the final carbon footprint (CF) could be as much as 50% higher than ammonium nitrate, for example. If the same rate of N is applied, the CF could still be 15% higher with urea, and there would be less available nutrient for the crop, he added.
"If growers are selling their carbon footprint bin terms of Kg/CO2 per Kg of produce, then yield will be paramount in delivering low figures; i.e. efficiency of use. Without Sustainable Intensive Agriculture increasing yields and productivity, emission losses would be four to five times higher than they are now," he said. "Growers have already improved fertiliser use efficiency from 35%, to more than 60%. And we are continuing to drive that down with good practice."
Agronomy training
An exciting new training opportunity is aimed at creating a new crop of agronomy consultants, with additional prospects for vegetable crop agronomy, reported Salvador Potter, chief executive of PGRO and hosts of the Syngenta Vegetable Whole Crop Agronomy Demonstration Site.
The three-year agronomy training scheme, developed by the highly experienced fresh produce training specialists, MDS, and in association with PGRO, Syngenta and AICC, will add a final year module of agronomy skills and paid industry placements, which will dovetail with the existing MDS commercial fresh produce industry training. It will provide BASIS and FACTS training, mentored by qualified crop consultants and accredited by Harper Adams College. "We are seeking to encourage more young people to enter the industry and develop careers in agronomy, in both the vegetable and arable sectors," said Mr Potter.
