FUNGICIDE USE REDUCTION IN APPLE PRODUCTION - POTENTIALS OR PIPE DREAMS

Reduction in pesticide use in response to consumer pressures is seen a s a major issue in many crops. Fungicides comprise the greater proport ion of pesticides applied to apples. Potential methods to reduce their usage have been available for a considerable period of lime, These ar e examined under five broad areas: epidemiological ( manipulation of c urrent practices), non-conventional fungicides, biological control wit h microorganisms, disease-resistant varieties, and isolation. The appl ication of these concepts to commercial horticulture in Australia and the economics and social aspects of reduced-input disease control are discussed, The most likely chance for successful adoption of practices to reduce fungicide usage probably lies with manipulation of current practices. These include a reduction in dose rates associated with ino culum suppression and cessation of apple scab treatments at the end of the primary infection period where good control of the disease has be en maintained, Biological control offers promise in the control of pos t harvest diseases. Disease resistant apple varieties offer scope for niche markers demanding reduced pesticide growing systems, The impedim ents to reduced fungicide usage are seen as both sociological and fina ncial. The benefits of decreased pesticide usage are largely public, w hilst the risks of loss are private. Unless these risks can be compens ated for, perhaps with a price premium for low-fungicide fruit, it is unlikely that growers will implement such strategies. The variation in the amount of fungicides used successfully by different growers does, however, give scope to bring total usage by the industry down to a pr actical minimum.