Fickle, unsettled, erratic … call it what you will, but the challenging weather growers have faced this season has been conducive to disease pressure, benefitting efficacy and residue trial work.
A Lighter Touch technical lead Bruno Gatimel visited 15 field trials sites across Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne in late January and early February. ALT’s residue and efficacy trial work this season is evaluating 53 products across 22 trials, targeting high priority crop protection control gaps in a range of crops.
A lettuce crop trial on a summer day in Gisborne.
Bruno’s site visits covered a diverse range of crops, including process and feed peas, squash, process beans, broccoli, sweetcorn, peaches, lemons, and mandarins.
Carpophilus beetles were observed in a Hawke’s Bay peach crop.
“These trials are evaluating innovative crop protection tools, spanning new chemistry, soft chemical options, and biopesticides based on beneficial microbials. Several trials also include residue components, aimed at generating residue decay curves for selected chemical options.”
Citrus orchards in Gisborne were among the trial sites observed.
Weather conditions in December and January were unusual and highly variable between regions. Canterbury experienced colder than usual temperatures combined with wet conditions. In Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, very warm temperatures exceeding 30 °C were recorded, but these regions were also affected by sudden downpours, with rainfall events exceeding 100mm in a single day at times.
“These conditions may not favour the establishment of some insect pests, but the elevated humidity is clearly supportive of disease development,” Bruno says.
Field observations during the visits included Carpophilus beetles, thrips in citrus, armyworms in sweetcorn and Ascochyta development in peas.
A pea plant showing symptoms of Ascochyta disease, observed at the one of the trial sites in Canterbury. Credit: Field-Tek Ltd.
“Overall, the trials are tracking well and are expected to generate robust efficacy and residue data to support registrant dossiers for ACVM and EPA regulatory submissions,” he says.
Products from 17 crop protection companies are included in the 22 trials ALT has underway this season, and the products being evaluated include biologicals, innovative synthetic products and physical modes of action.
Of the 22 trials, 18 will contribute to work already underway to identify alternatives for organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids which are being phased out, and Group 3 and Group 7 fungicides, which are strongly susceptible to resistance.
In addition to Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, ALT has field trials underway in Pukekohe, Waikato and Central Otago.
Read more about this season’s A Lighter Touch efficacy and residue trials here and here.
