“Have I optimized my botrytis spray strategy?”

Instead of getting stymied by the complexity, we are starting with one aspect, fungicide applications, and we’re picking apart the components to try and optimize each of them. In the spring you saw the following articles about spraying for botrytis control:

1. Spray coverage on leaves (https://berryworldnz.wordpress.com/2024/10/13/hitting-the-target-part-1/)
2. Spray coverage on flowers (https://berryworldnz.wordpress.com/2024/10/21/hitting-the-target-part-2-wetters/).
3. Timing sprays for open flowers (https://berryworldnz.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/botrytis-problems-in-canterbury-strawberry-trial/)
4. Optimizing biological fungicides (https://berryworldnz.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/optimizing-biological-fungicides/)
5. Building a botrytis spray strategy (https://berryworldnz.wordpress.com/2024/09/16/building-a-botrytis-spray-program/)

Botrytis control is hard!

Now is your chance to get some one-on-one help with your botrytis fungicide strategy.

Sponsored by SGNZ, Berryworld is offering a spray diary analysis and recommendation service for up to 8 strawberry growers. If you can provide your 2024/25 spray diary in electronic format, we will make recommendations for improvements. It would also be great to know if you feel you’re generally “winning” on botrytis control, or not satisfied with the level of control. Your thoughts will be used to come up with industry initiatives for this tricky pathogen in the future.

From the diaries we’ve seen in the recent past, we can see some tank mixes, product choices, and frequencies of application that could be improved. Emerging themes from the recommendations will be shared with the industry as a whole, but grower diaries will be kept strictly confidential.

To participate, contact Geoff Langford, geoff@berryworld.co.nz

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