Abstract
Mrs Barbara Hall, Senior Research Scientist, Plant Health and Biosecurity, SARDI, attended the 18th Reinhardsbrunn Symposium on Modern Fungicides and Antifungal Compounds, held in Friedrichroda, Germany, April 24-28, 2016. This symposium, held every three years, draws together fungicide scientists from academia, research institutes and industry. It is the main forum for scientists to present, listen to and discuss the latest research and information on all aspects of fungicide use, from development to efficacy and resistance management. This was preceded by a visit to the global headquarters of the Bayer Crop Protection division at Monheim, where discussions were held on new compounds and resistance testing in viticulture.
Summary
Of the approximately 130 attendees, about 35 were from agrochemical companies, which provided a great forum for discussing products and issues in resistance management. Three Australian researchers attended and presented research data on fungicide resistance in Australia. Many of the fungicides used in Australia already have resistance issues in Europe and the USA, and information gained from their research and experiences will be utilised in the current AGWA funded project (SAR 1204) on resistance management in viticulture, and will enhance further research undertaken in the area. There is an increasing emphasis worldwide on fungicide resistance, with an increase in the number of submissions to the conference on that topic from 50% in 2013 to 60% in 2016. Only three papers on new compounds were presented, which also highlights the importance of correctly managing the current fungicides to maintain their effectiveness into the future.
The Contributions of the Symposium will be published as Proceedings of the Reinhardsbrunn-Series ‘Modern Fungicides and Antifungal Compounds’, Vol. VIII, printed by the DPG (Deutsche Phytomedizinische Gesellschaft – Selbstverlag).
Australian researchers working with fungicides should be encouraged to attend similar specific topic conferences to ensure that knowledge can be shared and new knowledge gained to benefit a wide range of Australian industries.