Pulse School: Maintain the Upper Hand on Diseases — Preventing Fungicide Resistance

There have been no confirmed cases of fungicide resistance in pulse crop diseases in Western Canada, and the industry wants to keep it that way.

“It’s something we want to take a proactive approach on and make sure we don’t develop those issues we’re seeing in some of the southern States with corn and soybean diseases,” explains Allison Friesen of BASF in this edition of the Real Agriculture Pulse School.

Fungicide stewardship begins with correctly identifying the disease and choosing a product that’s effective against it, she explains. Using multiple chemistries and always applying full label rates are also important.

With some growers considering two fungicide applications to protect their peas and lentils, she notes it’s important to not go in a second time with the same mode-of-action.

“If you’re doing multiple apps, try to use a different group of chemistry.”

Crop rotation is another tool. With record-sized pulse acres in 2016, tightening rotations are boosting disease pressure, notes Friesen.

“We need to keep at least four years between each crop so we’re reducing that inoculum load, as well as building up that soil profile, and avoiding developing such high inoculum loads that we cannot control it with a fungicide,” she says.

Related: Pulse School: Tom Wolf’s Tips for Effective Fungicide Application

Allison Friesen shares advice for preventing fungicide resistance in pulses:

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