Summary minutes of 18th Meeting, held on 11th March.
Those Present
Chairman Dr J Turner (FERA)
Secretary: Dr O Macdonald (PSD)
Members Mrs E Bardsley (Bayer CropScience), Mr W Clark (ADAS), Dr L Cooke (DARD), Mr J Edmonds (Dow Agrosciences), Dr C Edwards (HGCA), Dr B Fraaije (Rothamsted Research), Mrs E Hall (Syngenta), Dr N Lawrence (BASF), Mr S Leak (Belchim Crop Protection), Dr G M McPherson (Stockbridge Technology Centre), Mr A Selley (Du Pont), Mr J Sellars (Dow Agrosciences) , Dr D Stormonth (Interfarm)
Apologies: Derek Hollomon (Bristol University), Vivian Powell (HDC), Fiona Burnett (SAC), James Brown (John Innes Institute) and Ruth Mann (STRI), Mr Mikiya Horie (ISK)
Matter Arising
It was agreed that the advice on the use of Amistar as an in furrow treatment should be changed as sufficient evidence had now been provided to demonstrate that this use would not have a significant effect on the resistance risk of foliar applied QoI fungicides.
Website
The secretary would investigate the registration of a domain name suitable for use by all the UK RAGs.
A link to the HGCA 2005 Wheat Disease Management Guide would be added.
The Secretary would prepare summary minutes of the meetings for publication.
Liaison with other resistance groups
A resistance forum was being organised for the BCPC Glasgow meeting 2005 which FRAG-UK intended to participate in.
Interaction of QoI and QiI resistance risk
It had been suggested that because QoI and QiI fungicides both act on a similar part of the respiration pathway, in some situations the alternative oxidation pathway could provide enough energy to keep treated individuals alive. Therefore, although there was no cross resistance it was possible that the alternative oxidase pathway could play a part in selecting resistant individuals. For this reason it has been suggested that the two groups should be considered as members of the same resistance class.
The only disease on which both QoI and QiI fungicides are currently used is potato late blight. As there is some doubt as to the activity of the alternative oxidase pathway in this disease the group agreed to take no action at the current time but encouraged the relevant experts to discuss the issue.
Research
The LINK project investigating resistance management in QoIs was now in its last year and had produced some interesting results that would be passed to FRAC to consider in relation to their guidance.
A proposal for a further project investigating the mechanisms of triazole resistance had been submitted for LINK funding. An HGCA funded PhD student was already working on the area at Rothamsted.
STC had started baseline monitoring of downy mildew on impatiens, Phytophthora ramorum, chrysanthemum white rust and Botrytis on tomatoes to a range of fungicides.
Communication
The guidelines on Fungicide Resistance, Preventing and Managing Fungicide Resistance in Cereal Pathogens and Fungicide Resistance in Potato Pathogens, were all being updated.
New guidelines on oilseed rape, horticultural crops and possibly turf diseases were being developed.
BPC had agreed to help with the production of the leaflet on potato tuber diseases and HDC the leaflets on horticultural crops.
Next Meeting
11:00 AM, 5th October 2005 at Syngenta Crop Protection, Whittlesford.
