A question for Brussel Sprout growers

[Stuart J]

is this Altarnaria?
If yes, is there anything I can do to stop it in its tracks or prevent it spreading at this late stage. The photo shows the very worst ones affected.

 

[Brisel]

Google came up with these. Vertisan should deal with it.

 

[Stuart J]

Don't think Vertisan has approval for sprouts?

View attachment 593906

Google came up with these. Vertisan should deal with it.

 

[Farmer Miggins]

Don't think Vertisan has approval for sprouts?

Rovral then....

 

[Brisel]

Don't think Vertisan has approval for sprouts?

Sorry. It has, but not in this country. Rovral has an EAMU but is being revoked soon.

 

[david]

@Stuart J

Your sprouts are suffering from bacterial rot. If you pick them off they will stink. Nothing that you can do about it really, more prevalent in a wet year. Some of the strob type fungicide (as in Signum, Nativo and Amistar Top), have useful physiological effect - toughen the leaf up somewhat, which helps reduce bacterial rots, but doesn't eliminate them.

Brisel has put up some nice pictures of ringspot and Alternaria. Control these with Plover, Amistar Top, Nativo or Rudis. Usually spray on a 21 day interval, but if really diseasy conditions - wet and humid - then tighten spray interval to 14 days.

 

[Stuart J]

@Stuart J

Your sprouts are suffering from bacterial rot. If you pick them off they will stink. Nothing that you can do about it really, more prevalent in a wet year. Some of the strob type fungicide (as in Signum, Nativo and Amistar Top), have useful physiological effect - toughen the leaf up somewhat, which helps reduce bacterial rots, but doesn't eliminate them.

Brisel has put up some nice pictures of ringspot and Alternaria. Control these with Plover, Amistar Top, Nativo or Rudis. Usually spray on a 21 day interval, but if really diseasy conditions - wet and humid - then tighten spray interval to 14 days.

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Variety is Cascade, looks to be suffering more than some others. Would you reccomend Plover over Rovral for any altarnaria if I detect it in the crop at this stage?

 

[Stuart J]

@Stuart J

Your sprouts are suffering from bacterial rot. If you pick them off they will stink. Nothing that you can do about it really, more prevalent in a wet year. Some of the strob type fungicide (as in Signum, Nativo and Amistar Top), have useful physiological effect - toughen the leaf up somewhat, which helps reduce bacterial rots, but doesn't eliminate them.

Brisel has put up some nice pictures of ringspot and Alternaria. Control these with Plover, Amistar Top, Nativo or Rudis. Usually spray on a 21 day interval, but if really diseasy conditions - wet and humid - then tighten spray interval to 14 days.

Second question: could I have done anything to prevent the bacterial rot earlier in the season?

 

[david]

I would go with Plover Stuart as will have a degree of eradicating activity. Go with 0.3 L/ha Plover + 1.0 L/ha Phase II adjuvant to help get the fungicide into the waxy Brussels sprout leaves.

Plover comes in 1L packs so handy for smaller areas.

 

[david]

Second question: could I have done anything to prevent the bacterial rot earlier in the season?

I usually start fungicide is mid-July with a round of Signum + Plover, then 3 weeks later a round of Amistar Top. I like to use the physiological effects of the pyraclostrobin and azoxystrobin to toughen up the leaves.

Cascade - haven't grown that variety for a while. Usually Maximus for Oct, Marte for Nov and Batavus for Christmas and a big of Petrus for after Christmas.

 

[Stuart J]

So the fungicides have some activity against bacterial disease?

Thanks David, that's all very interesting.

 

[david]

My own view Stuart is that the fungicides with strobs toughen the leaves up and keep other disease out like ringspot/Alternaria - trying to minimise entry points for bacteria.

The traditional 'medicine' for suppressing bacterial diseases was the use of copper oxychloride fungicides, but these have now largely been revoked - yet copper oxychloride is used as a 'foliar feed' to correct copper deficiency.

So may be make sure your Brussels are not short of copper during the early part of the growing seasons and use fungicides to keep the leaves healthy.

 

[Stuart J]

@david and other sprout growers.

I have a huge amount of my 3000 plants ready and mature already....will they stay like that for another 6 weeks, or am I best to pick and put in my chiller?

 

[david]

@Stuart J

What variety or varieties are your sprouts Stuart ?

Have you applied any fungicide recently ?

Are you going to sell them one the stalk or pick off buttons ?

 

[Stuart J]

Maximus, Marte, Doric, Cascade.

No fungicide since September.

Both!

 

[david]

Ok Stuart,

I would start selling your Maximus now as they don't hold that well once mature. Then harvest your Marte - this is better sprout than Maximus and will hold better.

Your Cascade and Doric - I would apply a fungicide (something like 0.3 L/ha Plover) as these will hold until Dec / Christmas (there is a 3 week harvest interval with Plover fungicide). You will likely harvest your Cascade first as this was a big variety in its day for Christmas harvesting, and keep the Doric until last.

 

[Devil's advocate]

@Stuart J

Your sprouts are suffering from bacterial rot. If you pick them off they will stink. Nothing that you can do about it really, more prevalent in a wet year. Some of the strob type fungicide (as in Signum, Nativo and Amistar Top), have useful physiological effect - toughen the leaf up somewhat, which helps reduce bacterial rots, but doesn't eliminate them.

Brisel has put up some nice pictures of ringspot and Alternaria. Control these with Plover, Amistar Top, Nativo or Rudis. Usually spray on a 21 day interval, but if really diseasy conditions - wet and humid - then tighten spray interval to 14 days.

I did all that & have been growing sprouts for 30 years only a few acres, but struggling this year. Some varities that are short because of the drought & then have tried to produce a huge yeild because of the wet mild late Autumn period. The leaves can't drop because the buttons are so close together that the rotten base of the leaf can't get out. Resulting in bacterial rots. The very good yeilds of the more resistant (taller) varities & the very high prices will help the average income, but no fancy profits this year, a few weeks ago, I thought I was in for some really good returns.

 

[david]

Agree with Devil's advocate comments, sprouts are really on the short side this year. Buttons are large and look more like rugby balls this year. No air is circulating around the buttons, therefore creating perfect damp conditions for bacterial rots.

Hopefully get shot of most of them at Christmas this year.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Agree with Devil's advocate comments, sprouts are really on the short side this year. Buttons are large and look more like rugby balls this year. No air is circulating around the buttons, therefore creating perfect damp conditions for bacterial rots.

Hopefully get shot of most of them at Christmas this year.

I'm told & have seen the samples that sprouts from Lancashire are better than average this year, but some Wakefield & Lincolnshire crops are poor, so poor some to hardly be worth harvesting. I don't know about the Dutch or Scotch crops.

A lot of problems with bacterial rots on Spanish brocolli because of violent rain storms, although fortunatly not as bad as 2015 or was it 2016 when huge acreages were destroyed. I know the Spanish are copetitors but they are complementry to us & everyone needs to earn a living.

 

[Devil's advocate]

There must be some sprout growers on here, its very quiet.

Walking around Sheffield Parkway market, there has been a noticable drop in qualty this week. Some sprout sticks with nice round clean sprouts on them but low yeild & expensive. Some heavier yeilding sticks but with many buttons removed & lost that nice green colour. Nets, most nets had a few bad sprouts in them which is unusual & not quite the colour they usually are.

My own crop, I can make a sample but not one that I'm proud of.

Unusually for me I've done a tour of local supermarkets admitilly in the evening so perhaps a bit picked over. Very short stems with a few small but clean sprouts £1.25 to £1.35. 500g packs of shockingly poor sprouts 99p to £1.10 really appalled at the state of the sample lots chopped in half, small sprouts, diseased sprouts & turning yellow.

I usually have good results, although something, I would like to improve is longer stems with more spaced out even buttons. Due to potatoes, I'm on wide rows 32 inch row with 18 inch spacing, sometimes we go three rows to a raised bed ie 32 inch between beds with 3 rows at 16 inch with an inrow spacing 27 inch.

One thing with hindsight is that top dressing was delayed it was too dry, I suspect all on at planting would have been better this year. But I won't change that policy due to the risk of leaching.

Not all doom and gloom never seen such a heavy crop of late season caulie, downside is prices under pressure.