Challenging weather conditions over the last few years has put Australian farmers under extreme pressure to control an increase in weeds, insect pests and disease.
Preventative fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides have played a crucial role in the preservation of thousands of tonnes of agricultural output during this time, says CEO of CropLife Australia Matthew Cossey.
“In these challenging times it is more important than ever to ensure proper application of pesticides and implement resistance management strategies.
“Rain, hail or shine, effective resistance management of crop protection products is absolutely vital for future generations of farming.
“Farmers and agronomists are well aware of the potentially catastrophic consequences of the development of pesticide resistance. It can render a product and its entire chemical group ineffective in a paddock – or region – in as little as three to four years.
“As environmental conditions change and climatic ‘averages’ become a thing of the past, not only will weeds, insect pests and diseases endure, the threat to Australia’s natural environment and to the future productivity and profitability of farming will continue to rise.
“Rigorous attention must be paid to effective resistance management to preserve the available chemistry, given the discovery of new options is more challenging and expensive than ever before,” Mr Cossey said.
“In 1995, it took the assessment of 52,500 compounds to develop one effective crop protection chemical active constituent. It now requires the assessment of more than 160,000 compounds and expenditure of more than $400 million over an 11-year period to bring just one successful crop protection product to the market – and there are fewer and fewer new actives and modes of action being registered.
“The plant science industry invests considerable resources and hundreds of millions of dollars into research and development of crucial new and innovative agricultural chemical products.
“CropLife Australia’s Resistance Management Strategies for fungicides, herbicides and insecticides help farmers ensure that these vital products remain a viable tool against these threats with methods to ensure they maintain the effectiveness and extend the life of crucial chemistries.
“It includes advice on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems, adherence to label instructions and how to implement an effective resistance management strategy for chemical crop protection products.
“Resistance management is a dynamic process that must be continually considered and updated, and product users must remain vigilant,” Mr Cossey said.
“This underpins our medium to long term ability to farm sustainably and profitably. Likewise, each year CropLife’s Resistance Management Strategies are updated, and new ones developed by CropLife’s scientific technical review committees in consultation with national and international experts.
“Freely available best-practice resistance management advice is part of CropLife’s and our members’ commitment to world-leading industry stewardship.”
The 2022 Resistance Management Strategies can be accessed and downloaded from CropLife’s website. It is the responsibility of farmers, agronomists and resellers to ensure they have the most up-to-date and accurate advice available online.
These Resistance Management Strategies are part of CropLife Australia’s StewardshipFirst program, which is a suite of worldleading stewardship initiatives that aim to assist all pesticide users in maintaining world’s best-practice use.
