Viewpoint


Perhaps the biggest insight into the future has been provided with recent changes to insecticide PPPs. Just over two years ago, end users had imidacloprid (Merit Turf) and chlopyrifos, two relatively cost effective solutions for the control of leatherjackets and chafer grubs. Whilst imidacloprid withdrawal


was, to many, predictable and appeared to follow standard protocol and lead times, chlorpyrifos was subject to an ‘immediate withdrawal notice’ giving end users and distributors little over three months to apply product or dispose of stock. The sheer speed of change,


took much of the industry by surprise and exposed end users to the risk of significant damage. It left many questioning was there sufficient knowledge imparted to end users to allow them to adapt and successfully use other methods? How cost effective and available were other mooted solutions, and were turf managers able to persuade those with the purse strings to significantly invest in other methodologies with confidence of results? Whilst the above changes apply


only to insecticides, similarities exist, at present, with widely used fungicide and herbicide active ingredients. At the time of going to print, a


scheduled EU vote in July will determine the withdrawal period for the go to contact active ingredient of iprodione and it is anticipated that, at the latest, products containing this will only be available to purchase until


“ 14 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017


sometime in spring 2018; however, this could be accelerated. The withdrawal of the widely used fungicidal ‘aspirin for the headache of disease’ poses turf managers with significant changes to turf management practices and, ultimately, this will have to be effectively combatted by a better understanding of soil and plant health and factors that can increase the likelihood of plant disease.


Action on co-formulants within


With such wholesale changes impacting widely adopted


practice, identification and advance communication of potential problems to greens committees and relevant


management is vital


products is also having implications. This year, scrutiny on THFA (tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol) has forced changes to growth regulator, including the widely used Primo Maxx, which had to be reformulated and recently launched as Primo Maxx II. The action taken on this ingredient will likely impact a number of other herbicide and fungicide products, causing manufacturers and authorisation holders significant dilemmas on the viability of investment for product re-authorisation. Herbicides have also been subject to legislative changes with attention on the ‘phenoxy group’ of active ingredients. This has forced products and brands from this group of herbicides to be removed or relaunched with less active ingredients and reduced approved application rates on the label. Revised application rates on products containing the phenoxy group has led to some questioning the efficacy of products against difficult to tackle and resistant weeds. There has been wider use of newer generation active ingredients; the impact to turf managers here being primarily cost, where the £ per ha is more expensive.


Determining solutions and best practice


With such wholesale changes impacting widely adopted practice, identification and advanced communication of potential problems to greens committees and relevant management is vital. Managing their expectations and justifying investment with new solutions will require sound understanding; don’t be afraid of asking for help or expertise. With greenkeeping and


grounds management practices and products rapidly evolving, perhaps this year, through articles,


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