The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) will host two workshops on blight this month to help growers better plan their blight control programmes.
The blight workshops will be hosted in conjunction with Teagasc and will take place on June 17 and June 18.
The first will be held in the Roepark Resort, Limavady, on June 17, and the second will be in the Millbrook Lodge Hotel, Ballynahinch, on June 18. Both meetings start at 7:45p.m.
The workshops aim to update growers on the problem and help them identify good integrated pest management (IPM) and spray application practices effective in controlling the disease.
Attendees will also be taught to identify the most effective strategies when compiling a fungicide programme to protect against blight and protect the long-term efficacy of blight fungicides.
Several pressures are converging with potential to make blight control more challenging for Northern Irish potato growers during this and in subsequent seasons, CAFRE said.
Blight
“Last summer’s weather characterised by seemingly persistent daily rainfall, heat and humidity, provided near perfect conditions for blight to develop whilst also limiting spray opportunities,” CAFRE said.
“Some climate change predictions suggest we may see warmer and wetter summers more frequently, increasing blight pressure.
“Combined with this there has also been a discovery of new more virulent blight strains and the spread of strains with resistance to several fungicide groups have emerged in Europe.”
Examples from different countries have shown that, where not managed carefully, severe blight outbreaks can emerge, the college said.
“The good news is in countries such as Denmark with a reduced number of effective fungicide groups if the correct strategies are employed it is possible to maintain good blight control in these conditions.
“The reduction in the availability of some active ingredients most notably Mancozeb which has been a key part of blight programmes for years will also add to the challenge.”
Basis and Nroso points have been applied for and the workshops are open to all potato growers and agronomists.