It is essential that growers take steps to protect against potato blight as soon as the crop comes through the ground, according to Interfarm. This is because there is always plenty of inoculum from volunteers and potato dumps ready to take hold.

Interfarm’s technical manager, Dr David Stormonth, recommended Adagio as a sure start to a blight programme. The product combines two strong protectant multi-site actives, mancozeb and chlorothalonil.

“Adagio is suitable for use alone from the rosette stage onwards early in the season, at rapid growth stage mixed with a systemic partner and at maximum canopy mixed with a curative, such as cymoxanil. It is a particularly useful partner for cymoxanil as it adds some zoospore control and hence contributes some protection against tuber blight. This comes from the soil residual activity profile of chlorothalonil, which is similar to that of fluazinam,” Stormonth explained.

Adagio is described as an easy to use liquid formulation with excellent rainfastness and favourable sprayability. It is accepted on all major protocols including Nature’s Choice, and has a recommended dose rate of 2.4 to 3.2 l/ha alone down to 1 l/ha in mixture, according to crop stage and disease pressure.

Adagio is a multi-sited product, interrupting many different stages in the blight life cycle by interfering with many different metabolic processes in the fungal cell.