April updates from Teagasc for the Nursery Stock and Ornamental plant industry.
Summary of Teagasc Energy in Horticulture event, nitrogen fertiliser and greenhouses gasses, nitrogen and trees, Fascination of plants 2019, new protected zone status for Ireland, plant protection product changes, pest and disease updates.
Teagasc Advisory - Nursery Stock & Ornamentals Newsletter April 2019
Its been a busy season so far and the weather over Easter helped towards excellent sales all round. Thankfully little damage was reported after storm Hannah, a lot of newly planted young trees were the exception. Supplies of young plants are still tight, requiring growers to be flexible in ordering varieties.
Pat Fitzgerald and Beotanics recently announced some major developments with their business - listen to the Newstalk interview here.
The overall message from the event was that growers should first fix the “leaky bucket” and address energy use efficiencies before investing in energy production options.
The SEAI Exceed Programme offers good support for audits of where a business can save by improving efficiencies. Only after addressing these areas can generating energy realistically be considered. The programme is now open for applications. The SEAI Lighting grant is now open for applications also - this focuses on installing high efficiency LED lights with pay in as quick as 1-2 years. Contact Andrea Carroll and Sara Norris with specific queries on this.
Solar was a major focus for the event. Growers should look to generate only enough for their base load. Exporting surplus energy to the grid is not viable for small or medium scale projects due to grid connection costs. If considering DAFM grant support, planning would need to be secured before an application is made. Storage of power is a developing area and should be considered as part of any micro generation scheme.
SSRHI scheme is currently only available for heat pumps, the biomass option has yet to get a launch date and there is uncertainty when this will happen.
Accelerated capital allowance is highly attractive. The benefits to your business would depend on how much tax you are paying. The scheme is ideally suited to farms and therefore only caters for solar and wind.
Left, Liriomyza huidobrensis damage on Chrysanthemum and right Liriomyza trifolii damage also on Chrysanthemum.
Plant Health Updates New EU Plant Health Directive - additional protected zone status.
A range of new plant health measure will come into force on 1st September 2019. These have come about after the European Commission adopted the DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/523(pdf).
From September 1st Ireland will have new protected zone status for two leaf miner species; Liriomyza huidobrensis the South American serpentine leaf miner and Lyriomiza trifolii the American serpentine leaf miner. Both pests feed on a wide range of protected ornamentals and food crops. Their economic impact on ornamental plant production is significant due to the visually apparent damage. Control measures for finds are very serious with all plant material being destroyed.
Key headings from the directive:
Internal traffic or traffic to protected areas in the EU, Annexes IB and IIB: Changes in regulation of new organisms
Lyriomyza Huidobrensis and Lyriomiza trifolii (Leaf miners): Ireland and Northern Ireland are protected areas.
Cryphonectria parasitica (Sweet chestnut blight): plants for planting Quercus must be free of this organism if they go to the Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden or UK.
Annex IVB: requirements that a plant or plant product must meet when going to a protected area
Plants from Abies, Larix, Picea, Pinus L. and Pseudotsuga Carr., more than 3 meters high, excluding fruits and seeds due to Gremmeniella abietina : Northern Ireland is no longer a protected area for this organism.
Plants of Quercus L. , with the exception of Quercus suber L. , with a trunk circumference of at least 8 cm, measured at a height of 1.2 m from the root neck, intended for planting, excluding fruits and seeds due to Thaumetopoea processionea (Oak processionary moth) to Ireland and some parts of UK must come from a production site from a free area, or from the protected area, or from a declared production site and the environment thereof or from a production site is fully physically protected.
Cuttings without roots from Euphorbia pulcherrima , intended for planting; Plants of Euphorbia pulcherrima, intended for planting, excluding seeds; Plants of Begonia intended for planting, excluding seeds, tubers and tubers, and plants of Ajuga Crossandra, Dipladenia, Ficus, Hibiscus, Mandevilla and Nerium oleander, intended for planting, excluding seeds due to Bemisia tabaci (Ireland, certain parts of Portugal, Sweden and UK) must meet different requirements such as coming from a free area or free production site (established by 3 weekly checks) or treated production site which is subsequently found free again by 3 weekly checks and in some cases where it appears from the packaging or development of the flower that they are intended for sale to the final consumer for transport.
Xylella - host list increases results in further plant passport requirements from July 1st Eight new ornamental plants have been added to the list of plants requiring plant passports
These eight crops are:
The requirement to include plant passports for these species will come into place on July 1st 2019.
Some further plant species have been added to the list and others reclassified as to the species of Xylella they are susceptible to. See here for the latest list of Xylella host plants published by the EU
Box moth caterpillar - active again.
The caterpillar pest is becoming active after is winter dormancy. Last year there were only a few reports of the pests in the east of the country. It is likely to expand its range this year. Inspect for the small caterpillar and damage to foliage. Only the caterpillar stage can be controlled effectively with plant protection products.
Cydalima perspectalis caterpillars are becoming active and feeding on Buxus.
Pesticide Updates
Keep up-to-date with the latest pesticides new by visiting the Teagasc pesticide blog.
New Residual Herbicide
Valdor Flex marketed by Bayer contains two active ingredients: Diflufenican and Iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium. While they have no knockdown effect they are reported to give effective residual control for many months. The herbicide had been marketed in Ireland previously as Pistol Flex. The same product has been used on the continent for a few years and is know as Ronstar Expert. The key limitations with the herbicide is that its only permitted for use from March to June. It has label approval for permeable non crop areas and railway ballast.
Chlorothalonil set to loose approval
The widely used fungicide Chlorothalonil is set to be removed from sale in the coming year. This follows a vote by the European Standing Committee on Plants, Animals and Feed against the renewal of its approval. Its used for the control of wide range of foliar diseases, with many products including; Bravo, Bravado, Joules, Phyton, Rover 500 etc. and in some combinations such as Fielder SE, Fezan and Folio Gold. These products have been the go to option for many foliar disease controls. Chlorothalonil is categorised by Fungicide Resistance Action Committee as Code M 05 and had low risk of developing resistance. A Teagasc report "An evaluation of the potential impact the loss of chlorothalonil may have on the productivity of winter wheat and spring and winter barley grown in Ireland" paints a stark picture for farmers competing in a global market. The financial impact for ornamental growers is likely to be less severe however alternative disease control strategies will be needed to ensure diseases resistance does not become an issue.
Devrinol label changes Devrinol has been re-registered recently. See new label here. The re-reg of Devrinol has changed the crops on the label. Berries, ornamentals and forest nursery are no longer on the label. The old product Devrinol 91627 was withdrawn on 31/12/2018. It can be used by growers up to 30/06/2020 .
Chlorpropham withdrawal likely
Chlorpropham, with brand CIPC, used in nurseries and forestry is likely to have its registration revoked in the near future. The European Food Safety Authority has recommended that its approval be withdrawn. The decision now rests with the European Commission and is likely to be announced early in the summer.
Fungicide Switch - label update
The label has been updated for switch and replaces all previous versions. The key difference is that rates for use on protected ornamentals is reduced from 1Kg/Ha to 0.8Kg/ha. See new Switch label here.
Recent withdrawals -Plant Protection Products
May 1st will see the use by date passing for Betanal Expert (PCS # 03570)
Betanal MaxxPro (PCS #04266) continues to have off label approval for forest nurseries and outdoor ornamentals. It contains the same actives; Desmedipham Ethofumesate Phenmedipham but in addition Lenacil is added.
The full list of products that will be revoked in 2019 can be seen here
Fertiliser for field trees
Planting of field trees is well underway and for many will be completed. Fertiliser regimes generally follow with fertiliser incorporation at planting and follwed 6 weeks later with surface application. Common Nitrogen fertilisers can result in varying levels of green house gas and ammonia emissions.
Urea breaks down under certain conditions to produce varying levels of ammonia
CAN breaks down to form Nitrous oxide.
Protected urea can reduce ammonia emissions by 80%
Protected urea however is €50/tonne more expensive than standard Urea. Growers seeking to improve their sustainability can take actions to reduce their impact and it may also be of benefit for quality assurance schemes. Ireland has already committed to reduce our production of ammonia gases so this is likely to see further attention in the immediate future.
See Teagasc Urea N Fertilser publication for further details and advice.
While definitive advice on fertiliser for ornamental tree production is very difficult to come by some research by VUB, Germany in 2017 will be of interest. Nitrogen fertiliser trials were carried out on Tillia “Pallida” comparing organic and mineral, mineral and CRF. 6-8 trees were planted and received a total of 130kg of N/ha in different forms.
Terra Plus N and Agromaster 2-3 month resulted in reduction of leaching and good stem growth, both achieved good growth with low N content. Multigrow and Nova tec had higher N levels to achieve the same level of growth with Multigro showing labour reduction by being applied only once for season long effect. Organic matter either as green manure or FYM improved growth over the two year trial.
Biocontrols programmes will be underway shortly in unheated glasshouses. Some useful short reminders from two of the main production companies below.
Koppert video resources includes a wide range of pest control options and some new products e.g. Spical Ulti-mite
Biobest video resources on pest control including useful tips on placing of sticky traps
The fifth international "Fascination of plants day " will take place on May 18th. Fascination of Plants Day 2019 (FoPD 2019) will be launched by plant scientists across the world. The goal of this activity is to get as many people as possible around the world fascinated by plants and enthused about the importance of plant science for agriculture, horticulture and sustainable production of nutritious food, as well as for forestry and the production of plant-based non-food products such as paper, timber, chemicals, energy and pharmaceuticals. The role of plants in environmental conservation is also a key message. There will be a number of Irish events taking place, see the web site for details.
Teagasc, Nursery Stock Study tour to Germany and visit to Baumschule Technik Tradeshow 27th -30th August.
Four day study tour to the centre of German Nursery Stock production. Includes seven nursery visits and attending the world famous trade show. There is enormous variety in Pinneberg district with a high degree of specialization. World famous nurseries in the area include Kordes young plants and roses, Lorenz von Ehren,
Direct flights available from Dublin to Hamburg. See here for proposed itinerary and costs.
Dates For Your Diary
May 18th Fascination of plants day, nationwide.
June 11-13th June 11-13 Garden trials - Plantarium site, Netherlands
August 29th- 30th - Baumschuletechnik Nursery machinery Show Germany Teagasc will organise a tour around the event.
Contact
Please get in touch if you would like further information, if you have any issues you would like to discuss or topics you would like to hear more about. Feel free to forward the bulletin to friends or suppliers; they can subscribe or view past bulletins from the Teagasc web site. Please seek permission before reproduction of any part of the bulletin.
*All recommendations are made in good faith. As plant protection products recommendations can change please read the product label fully and check the PCS web site. The Teagasc nursery stock bulletin is now on the approved list for IASIS continuous professional development points. Subscribers will receive 5 CPE points per annum.
