Currently wheat production in western Europe is reliant on the application of plant protection products throughout the growing season. Fungicides account for approximately 25% of these applications, with septoria tritici blotch, caused by Zymoseptoria tritici the primary target. Unfortunately the evolutionary potential of Z. tritici, coupled with the high specific nature of current fungicide chemistries place the pathogen at a high risk of fungicide resistance development. Over the past decade the consequences of this have been observed at field level. In addition to fungicide resistance, changes in the registration of plant protection products within the EU will impact upon the availability of current and future chemistries. It is therefore imperative that both the potential development of resistance and subsequent spread is minimized. As part of the C-IPM ERA-NET, EUR-RES was established with in the EUROWHEAT platform to provide the basis from which to achieve this goal. Specifically the EURO-RES project aims to A) determine levels of resistance and the dynamics of resistance spread in partner countries B) determine the impacts of fungicide control strategies using the diversity in resistance levels throughout western Europe and C) make publically available the research findings through the EUROWHEAT platform in such a manner that they can be readily utlised by extension services and growers.
Berg, Gunilla
[Swedish Board of Agriculture]
