Mark Hunt’s Weather Assessment
15th – 22nd February 2010
The weather patterns may be starting to change (I stress maybe as I note Metcheck still has next week pretty cold, but I don't agree). At present we have a cold air influenced low pressure in situ bringing rain, sleet or snow showers across the UK. The jet stream is still situated far down south, just off Africa and this means that the cold air has had the run of the roost for a while now.
This week looks to carry on that pattern with sunshine and heavy, prolonged showers, sometimes falling as snow, more prevalent the further east you are and also the higher you are. Depending on cloud cover, night frosts will be a feature but, if cloud cover stays, temperatures will generally be above freezing at night and low to mid single figures during the day. Winds will be pretty light, so it will be ok for spraying this week, but I'd use a sticker if spraying a foliar acting fungicide because of the risk of showers.
On Monday, the wind should start to move round to the south and this will signal the start of milder, moister air (a bit warmer than of late, but still cool and nothing to shout about) pushing up, accompanied by pretty strong winds and a dollop of rain, particularly affecting the west coast of Ireland - Kerry, Clare, Mayo sort of way. This rain will also affect the UK during the early part of next week, with blustery wind and heavy showers a feature of the week.
Looking even further ahead, I'll stick my neck out and say that the start of March will be mild with temperature hitting double figures if you can remember them - it's been a long winter.
Agronomically, the issue of poor fungicide efficacy continues to raise it's head and a number of courses are still seeing poor results from either the protectant action of chlorothalonil or the contact / curative action of Iprodione. Whether this is because Snow Mold has a different character to normal Fusarium in terms of its fungicide control spectrum or whether it's because of the cold affecting uptake is difficult to say but, when sprays cost the upwards of £600 / €800 per hectare each time, it's no laughing matter. For my money, I think if you have to spray, I'd go with a tankmix of a DMI / Triazole fungicide and half-rate Iprodione and work on keeping the plant growing to maximise uptake. This should be a bit easier than of late if temperatures start to rise a little.
Mark Hunt
Technical Director
Headland Amenity Ltd
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