PCN forecast tool set to aid nematicide use
PCN forecast tool set to aid nematicide use
A NEW computer aided risk assessment package will help potato growers assess and demonstrate the impact of PCN control strategies on egg count numbers up to three rotations ahead, says developer Du Pont.
"Carrying out an on-farm risk assessment is a quick and easy way for an agronomist to graphically demonstrate the impact that changing rotation and nematicide use has on egg count numbers," says root fungicide manager Neil Beadle.
Such information will help growers demonstrate to buyers why controls are necessary, even when egg counts are at apparently low levels. Currently growers tools to tackle PCN are being eroded by buyers demand for susceptible varieties and economic pressure that forces too tight rotations, he maintains.
ICM protocols can impose further constraints on controls and make scrutinising appropriate control tactics essential, he notes.
"Growers can see for themselves the consequences of their actions under different scenarios. This should aid planning."
Data from more than 30 Vydate (oxamyl) trials across varying soil types, plus 20 years field experience, have gone into the model. Populations are mapped according to variety, rotation length, and whether granular, fumigant, or no treatment is used.
"It is valid for both rostochiensis and pallida populations," comments Mr Beadle.
The risk assessor software is written by Muddy Boots Software but will run as a stand alone product and a limited number of copies are available free from Du Pont. Tel: 01438-734450. *
Grower experience
Farm manager Graeme Hogg, who jointly runs a 121ha (300 acre) potato enterprise for Glentworth Scottish Farms in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, says the PCN risk assessor is ideal for helping him interpret what will happen to nematode numbers in a specific field situation, particularly if a nematicide is not used. "It will be ideal as an environmental tool for setting ICM protocols, as well as demonstrating how quickly low egg counts can accelerate out of control in only one or two seasons where an inappropriate nematicide strategy has been implemented. Potato production is an expensive business, so any information which offers a more accurate interpretation of how to manage PCN populations is welcome. It also provides a pretty good indicator of when to stop growing potatoes."