3 June 2024. Paul McIntosh, Pulse Australia and WeedSmart.
I have just been looking at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Maximum Residue Levels (MRL) web site after hearing of reduced levels for Mungbeans exporting to Europe.
There has been a huge number of food stuffs that the EFSA has dropped these MRLs to 0.01mg per kg. This level is the lowest level or LOD, that can be detected using modern and reliable analytical methods. Much of the update reduction news was on our favourite grass herbicide in Haloxyfop in or on certain food products. Glyphosate also gets mentions again.
Now chickpeas also come under this “peas with pods" type LOD banner for Europe and the use of Haloxyfop comes right into question too, if you can use it at all in your chickpea crops that may be destined for Europe. You need to confirm this market possibility before you apply some pesticides.
Of course, historically, most of our desi pea crops will find a market elsewhere in the world besides Europe, which I reckon will occur this year now that the 68% tariff for our main customer has been dropped till March 2025.
Clorothalonil, one of our more favoured fungicides that we use in our chickpea crops along with Mancozeb, will be especially useful in the early stages on those crops planted with bare seed. That is no Thiram or P Pickel T on the chickpea planting seed.
Chloro is a member of the multi site activity group of fungicide action and we do need all the help we can get in warding off fungicide resistance issues. Unfortunately, rumours continue to swirl about this very useful old fungicide being under review both here in Australia and overseas.
What am I saying here is that with another large chickpea crop like we had in 2016 and in anticipation of applying acceptable, effective and registered fungicides for this big year of 2024 on chickpea crops, we all need to be on guard for both our MRLs and possible increasing levels of fungicide resistance. Plus we need to abide by any With Holding Periods (WHP) and that may be tricky to work out exactly in days.
In 2016, our pulse industry just grabbed any fungicides that were registered or were emergency use permitted products available in Australian warehouses. I suspect we are not going to have the same leniency for some of the fairly old fungicides we applied to our chickpeas in 2016. That was eight years ago and the world acceptance of some of our pesticides has changed, particularly for pesticides like Haloxyfop and perhaps a few old fungicide modes of action as well.
It behoves all of us to be fully aware of the pesticides and mode of actions we apply and don’t forget to fill that grower declaration form out at all times……even if the receival grain depot folks forget to ask for it.
That’s all folks.
Swathed chickpea crop in Nov 2020 - No glyphosate or diquat at desiccation stage.