“Similar shifts in Septoria sensitivity happened in the UK over 10 years ago, so getting a technical expert over from the UK, with practical field experience in cereals, was a no brainer,” says Syngenta NZ marketing manager, John Yates.
 

“We organized a series of meetings in mid and South Canterbury and the turnout was fantastic, with over 250 growers and resellers taking part. It was clear both growers and resellers were looking for sound advice on how to control Septoria now we have confirmed resistance issues. “The feedback we received from the meetings was very positive and the timing was perfect, being before the season starts.”
 

The key message was the importance of using robust rates of the new SDHI fungicides (such as Seguris Flexi) early in the season preventatively, in mixture with at least 75 per cent of the full label rate of an effective triazole.
 

Yates says the persistence of Seguris Flexi was also highlighted, with its higher loading of SDHI giving longer lasting protection at T1.”
 

“The other message was that no new fungicide chemistry is expected in cereals for at least five years, so we need to protect the SDHI’s by using robust rates and mixtures, avoiding curative applications and using no more than two SDHI fungicides per season.”
 

The importance of cultivar resistance, sowing date, stubble management and crop rotation was highlighted, as was the benefit of using Syngenta Amistar AI nozzles to help sprays reach the base of the crop. The use of chlorothalonil was also discussed and Syngenta advised that no part of the crop (including grain) could be fed to livestock if chlorothalonil was applied at any growth stage.
 

For more details phone Syngenta on 0800 333 336.