Persistence of the nematicide fluensulfone in potato (Solanum tuberosum ssp. tuberosum) beds under field conditions

Abstract

As part of a broader study to evaluate the efficacy of fluensulfone for control of the potato cyst nematode,Globodera pallida, two field experiments in Shropshire (at Woodcote and Howle in 2010 and 2011, respectively) England, were used to monitor the persistence of fluensulfone in potato beds treated with Nimitz 15G®(fluensulfone) at 27 kg ha−1. Fluensulfone dissipated at similar rates in the two fields, with a trend best described by a sigmoidal curve. The time to 50% dissipation (DT50) was 24.3 days at Woodcote, and 23.7 days at Howle. No differences were found between the DT50for fluensulfone and that observed for fosthiazate. The short DT50demonstrated for fluensulfone in this study is a positive attribute as this nematicide may pose a negligible hazard to the environment. However, its persistence at an effective dose may be long enough to be effective over the peak hatch period ofG. pallida.