The ABA ' s new Almond Fungicide Planner will make it simpler for growers to keep track of their fungicide use .
Almond Fungicide Planner deisgned by the ABA
GROWERS are always watching out for pests and diseases that might affect the health of their trees or the quality of their nuts . Integrated management strategies are used on-farm to protect against diseases making the environment less conducive for diseases . Fungicides play an important role in the integrated management programs to prevent the growth or development of fungal pathogens . Care must be taken to ensure fungicides are used properly and judiciously as some species of fungi can become resistant to fungicides which would mean the existing chemicals were no longer effective . In discussions with chemical companies and almond growers , the ABA Industry Development Team realised there was a gap in tools available to assist growers in planning and managing their fungicide programs each year . In order for growers to avoid resistance they need to read each product label to identify the activity group it belongs to , refer to the recommendations on how many times that activity group should be
While the tool has been designed as a planning tool it can easily be adjusted during the season depending on growing conditions and other inevitable changes , all the while knowing they are doing their best to avoid fungicide resistance and getting the most out of the existing chemical toolkit .
applied each season , as well as which ones can be applied successively . With 17 different activity groups , and 11 modes of action , this can be an overwhelming exercise . The ABA Fungicide Planner brings together resistance management strategies developed by CropLife Australia Expert Committee ( FRAC ) and provides a grower-friendly tool that growers can use to enter the products they intend to use for various pathogens during the year . Every time a product is entered into the tool the Resistance Management Table automatically calculates how many times the same product ( activity group ) can be used based on advice from the CropLife FRAC .
The tool also enables growers to calculate total volumes of product for each season assisting with annual fungicide orders with their chemical companies and forecasting their own fungicide budgets . The tool provides useful links to further information about how to avoid chemical resistance and where to find product registration and up to date label information . While the tool has been designed as a planning tool it can easily be adjusted during the season depending on growing conditions and other inevitable changes , all the while knowing they are doing their best to avoid fungicide resistance and getting the most out of the existing chemical toolkit .
34 In A Nutshell - Autumn 2022 Vol 23 Issue 1