Potato growers in search of sustainable rotations must take greater account of Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) multiplication rates and the potential of nematicides to minimise the build-up of problem PCN populations, Syngenta potato manager Simon Parker has revealed.
He advised that, with more than two-thirds of potato land is now infested with PCN and a lack of commercially viable PCN-resistant varieties, growers must select their nematicide to deliver immediate yield benefits and long-term PCN control.
Parker said: “The far slower natural decline rate of the now dominant G. pallida strain of PCN means growers must make every effort to minimise the number of eggs left in the soil at harvest.
“The greater persistence of Nemathorin has proven more effective in controlling later hatching G. pallida nematodes, to minimise crop damage and multiplication at the end of the season.”
Trials at Harper Adams University College have reinforced the strength of Nemathorin, which held the multiplication rate down to just 2.2 times the number of PCN eggs in the soil when the crop was lifted, compared to the start. The use of oxamyl (Vydate) in the same trial enabled PCN numbers to multiply nearly seven times by the end of the cropping.
The trial also showed that Nemathorin caused a 20 per cent yield benefit over the untreated crop, and a 15 per cent higher yield than the oxamyl treatment.
But the huge demand for Nemathorin in the wake of the unexpected withdrawal of aldicarb (Temik) could leave supplies very tight this season, Parker warned.
He said: “We have already seen unprecedented forward orders and have secured additional stocks for UK growers. But it’s a pan-European problem. Growers need to be planning and prioritising actions for the coming season.”
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