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2021 was a very difficult Late Blight season in many regions. The regular
rainfall for sometimes exceptionally long periods made it very hard to
control the very aggressive Late Blight. With this tough season still fresh
in their memory, potato growers again face a huge challenge this year, as
Mancozeb was banned in Europe from early January 2022. Looking at the
quotes collected, there is no doubt that the ban on Mancozeb in potatoes
will have a huge impact on the entire potato chain across Europe. However,
a closer look at these quotes reveals some clear market trends which are
important to keep in mind:
1.
Mancozeb was appreciated for a lot of extra benefits besides its activity
as a fungicide against
Phytophthora infestans
. Its good efficacy on
Alternaria
sp. and the extra supply of micro-nutrients (in particular
manganese and zinc) were highly appreciated. This means farmers and
their advisors need to adapt more than just their Late Blight control
program. Customers are already working really hard on this.
2. Mancozeb had a multisite mode of action which was a cornerstone in
anti-resistance management against Late Blight. It is expected that this
will be covered by mixing single site products, but only time will tell
what the impact of the loss of a real multisite mode of action will be
against a highly diverse and dynamic pathogen like
P. infestans
.
3. Mancozeb was a very cost-effective solution. Many farmers worry about
the increasing costs of potato production and the ban on Mancozeb
will increase the cost of the fungicide program in potato. However,
on this point it is important to keep the right perspective: even the
smallest Late Blight attack in the field will cost the farmer much more
than the extra money he would need to spend on replacing Mancozeb!
The gap left by Mancozeb!
Ed Bingham – Crop Manager Potato
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