With warming temperatures and rising humidity, growers wanting to reduce pesticide applications on their crops are being advised that now could be the optimum timing for a biofungicide treatment in a range of horticultural crops.
Martin Donnelly, ICL sales development manager, explains that damaging disease pathogens are thriving in these conditions, but so will the biofungicide treatment, Prestop, so growers are encouraged to apply the product preventatively as part of an integrated disease management strategy.
“The use of biofungicides is not yet common practice, but as more growers consider their use, there’s a keen interest in learning more. For this reason, ICL has developed a new Prestop grower guide to aid in effective product use,” he says.
“The guide is a one-stop-shop to take out the guess work in application. It’s much simpler than previous literature, but it’s still important to use it in conjunction with the product label and MSDS sheet, to ensure safe and effective usage.
“It’s split into sections, specific to the crop, to avoid confusion between ornamental, fruit and salad crops. Step-by-step guides are also provided on product mixing as well as various application methods to suit different operating systems,” he says.
“Another important element of the guide is the compatibility list supplied at the back. This gives details of products, including pesticides, adjuvants and biostimulants, that can be used in conjunction with the biofungicide, along with the recommended interval days between applications.
Martin adds that one of ICL’s distributors has already previewed the guide, and it has given the team a lot more confidence in advising growers on the product, that is still fairly new to the industry.
For more information:
ICL Group
+ 44 (0) 1473 237111