Growers of winter beans, particularly those who are new to growing the crop, are being reminded that they must keep well ahead of chocolate spot.
The Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) are reinforcing the message that all effective fungicides are protectant in action and need to be applied before the disease is established.
Dr Anthony Biddle, technical director of PGRO, is concerned that the area of winter beans is up by around 36 per cent this year and so there will be some growers who have not grown this crop before.
He said: “These new growers may not fully realise that diseases in beans must be prevented rather than cured. Effective fungicides such as Signum are protectant in nature and need to be applied before the infection takes place. So it is important to keep a close eye on disease and be prepared to act quickly.”
Biddle has been assessing the performance of a range of fungicides against both chocolate spot (Botrytis cinerea and B. fabae) and rust (Uromyces fabae) in beans. “Signum has worked very well on rusts and is as good as any of the best products on chocolate spot. It is a very useful product to use in a programme,” he added.
Biddle advises that the first application of fungicide should be applied at early flowering stage, with the second application four weeks later.
“The first spray is usually applied at early flowering and targeted just at chocolate spot, with the second spray targeted at both chocolate spot and rusts. Winter bean crops this year are variable in terms of their growth, with some crops close to first flower bud and others just four inches high. It is the growth stage of the crops that should govern the first fungicide treatment, regardless of calendar date.”
According to Jonathan Ball, BASF peas and beans product manager, growers should be gearing up to start their fungicide programme on beans. “Chocolate spot and rust can easily escalate to epidemic proportions, when conditions allow,” he warned. “Chocolate spot can escalate if it is warm and wet and if it stays warm, rusts could become a problem later on in June.
“Signum has been a technical breakthrough in the protection against chocolate spot and rust. It offers superior performance and greater persistence compared to other protectant fungicides and is the first choice where disease pressure is high for both chocolate spot and rusts.
“In trials, Signum gave 74 per cent control of chocolate spot, outperforming other treatments, with its high performance being reflected in yields.”
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