Agronomic Minute: New Integrated Program to Help Improve Production

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Integrated Program

UPL has developed ProNutiva as an integrated program to help growers address a variety of production concerns. The system-led approach incorporates a variety of crop protection products growers can use to reduce residue issues, as well as increase plant health and yield. UPL Technical Service Lead for Specialty Crops Joe Vassios said that the program takes a comprehensive look at cropping systems to offer a variety of options to help achieve optimal crop performance.

“This would be looking at a specific pest, looking at a season-long program integrating maybe a more conventional chemistry with sustainable or natural based products. Maybe a biosolutions-based product as well to look at that integrated program for providing season-long control of that pest. It looks at rotating these modes of actions,” said Vassios. “It also can have some secondary benefits of assisting with residue issues for key export countries and then additionally focusing on increased plant health and yield to additionally benefit a grower at the end of the season.”

The ProNutiva program has been shown to be successfully put into practice in a variety of trials, achieving positive results in weed and pest control in crops including grapes, apples, and wheat. Walnut growers have also found the program to be helpful in addressing issues of walnut blight in their orchards. Implementing an integrated program such as ProNutiva has helped growers that have been dealing with resistance issues in traditional management approaches.

Research has shown copper resistance within walnut blight, but with a rotational plan and incorporation of different materials, growers can have success. “A rotation of a mancozeb and copper, being the more traditional chemistries, plus incorporating KASUMIN in there to really combat these resistance issues is a great example of how ProNutiva can be implemented in the field,” said Vassios.

Listen to the full episode below.