An early start to disease control in lettuce will pay dividends and is essential if growers are to satisfy the high demands of the retailer and packer, according to chemical provider BASF.
Recommended in both outdoor and indoor lettuce, the protectant fungicide Signum is seen as a first choice for the control of Sclerotinia, Rhizoctonia and Botrytis, as well as for the physiological and plant defence effects it gives. It has also been shown to reduce post-harvest losses adding to the high quality required, says BASF.
Simon Townsend, product stewardship manager for BASF, said: “The combination of boscalid and pyraclostrobin in Signum leads to top levels of disease control in lettuce and offers a broad-spectrum disease control. In trials and in commercial use this fungicide has regularly produced leading levels of disease control for Sclerotinia, Rhizoctonia and Botrytis.
“Signum is also active on non-label diseases such as Stemphyllium and has additional positive effects on reducing the incidence of undesirable post-harvest symptoms such as Pink rib, discoloration or dehydration.”
Townsend revealed that in trials Signum reduced Sclerotinia from 69 per cent in the untreated to just 23 per cent in the treated and resulted in yield increases of 75 per cent over the untreated. “Its use also reduced Botrytis levels down to just four per cent from 40 per cent in the untreated, and increased yields by 78 per cent. In further trials aimed at Rhizoctonia, Signum increased the percentage of marketable heads by 146 per cent. Many salad growers have noted the excellent disease control as well as the many additional effects Signum has on quality, yield and shelf-life characteristics. In a market where quality and visual appeal is key, broad-spectrum disease control plus these additional quality criteria are important to the grower.
“Signum has been shown to have a number of proven positive effects over and above disease control. For example, it inhibits ethylene production, resulting in lettuce crops that are less stressed and higher yielding. Such crops also tend to have a better tolerance of drought, which in view of the predicted hot summer, will be a good advantage this year. It also appears to have an effect on nitrate reductase production, which leads to more efficient use of nitrogen and higher yields,” concluded Townsend, who added that growers have said that Signum-treated salad crops looked greener and healthier.
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