Growers have until 30 November to purchase plant protection products containing mancozeb, following the expiry of its active substance approval earlier this year.
Those with product in stock will have another 12 months for storage, disposal or use. This means any purchases before the deadline will provide another season of use for the grower.
It coincides with a rise in demand following a surge in resistance to CAA and OSBPI fungicides on the continent, notes Geoff Hailstone, UPL potato technical lead. In the UK, the first 46_A1 strain has been found, so a final season of mancozeb in blight programmes will benefit resistance management.
“We have already seen a significant increase in the sales of products like Proxanil (cymoxanil + propamocarb),” says Geoff. “I would expect this to continue as it is the next best option as a tank mix partner for resistance management.
“The two actives in Proxanil have no reported resistance issues. They are both the only members of different chemistry groups.
“Cymoxanil is known to be one of the few actives with kickback activity and has a very low risk of developing resistance. Propamocarb is the only active with reliable anti-sporulant activity across all known strains and has good movement in the plant.”
He concludes that growers should work with suppliers to ensure they do not miss out next season.