As reported in an earlier edition of Technical Matters, we are delighted that ICL’s technical area sales manager for the East of England, Stuart Gammage, recently joining the BASIS crop protection register.  With reduced availability of many chemicals and new Sustainable Use Directive regulations, his topical BASIS project focused on the biological control of root and base diseases in young plants.

Stuart undertook trials last autumn at two Suffolk nurseries comparing three control methods; cultural, conventional chemical – using pesticide Octave (use up date 30 June 2017) − and the new Lallemand Plant Care biofungicide Prestop®.  

“Growers are coming under pressure to turn crops around quickly and maximise sales, while maintaining quality,” explains Stuart. “However, limiting crop spacing can increase humidity and provide ideal conditions for common diseases such as Phytophthora, Pythium, and Botrytis.

“My trial results showed plants treated with Prestop achieved higher crop survival rates, better root and foliage growth and were ready earlier.  Crop losses were highest in plants relying on cultural treatments, ie no chemical treatment but were well spaced and kept drier.  The Octave® treated plants had more foliage, compared to the untreated plants, but the root system was not as well established as in the plants treated with Prestop. Now qith Octave no longer being available, growers can be confident in utilising this bio-control from ICL and Lallemand."

“Both the growers in these trials were impressed by the Prestop results and plan to treat all new high risk crops with this biofungicide in the future.  The good news is that Prestop can now be pre-mixed in to the growing media, saving valuable time on the nursery and providing immediate protection to plants at potting.”