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The PotCast - Syngenta's Professional Horticulture Podcast

The PotCast - Syngenta's Professional Horticulture Podcast

By Syngenta UK

Welcome to Syngenta's PotCast! If you are a professional horticulture grower, this is the podcast for you, an engaging and informative insight into managing your crops, we cover everything from technical issues, to product discussions, regulatory changes and spray advice. Bought to you by Daniel Lightfoot, the UK Business Manager and Liz Green, Marketing Manager for EAME with special industry guests in feature length podcasts.

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Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
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Biopesticides, types and getting the most from them

The PotCast - Syngenta's Professional Horticulture PodcastApr 20, 2021

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05:00
Adjuvants - Podcast Special

Adjuvants - Podcast Special

An expert look at Adjuvants, with Sam Rivers and Andrew Wilson from ICL. Adjuvants are really starting to grow in horticulture and new adjuvant technology is allowing growers to do a better job for less. Find out how on this Potcast Special. 
Jul 13, 202127:00
Red Spider Mite - Podcast Special

Red Spider Mite - Podcast Special

Daniel Lightfoot Interviews experts Ant Surridge and Alex Matthews  from Fargro  to find out all about RSM... what is it, the life cycle and control techniques both cultural and chemical 
Jul 06, 202135:08
Biostimulants and Their Growing Use - Podcast Special

Biostimulants and Their Growing Use - Podcast Special

Daniel Lightfoot interviews Syngenta Technical Manager Glenn Kirby about the the rapidly growing use of Biostimulants in Horticulture.  Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
Jun 29, 202115:43
Product Development & Registration Full Series

Product Development & Registration Full Series

In this supersized podcast, I want to say a little about what’s involved in bringing you a new plant growth regulator or pest, disease and weed control product. Developing chemistry-based products takes 8-10 years from the point when we discover a compound, to the stage where you can start treating your crops. That’s because plant protection products are among the most thoroughly researched, tested and regulated of anything you will use on your nursery. Given that we have to look at around 100,000 molecules to find just one which will eventually reach the market as a fungicide, insecticide, herbicide or plant growth regulator – a process that can take 8-10 years – you won’t be surprised to learn it’s not just time consuming but an eye-wateringly costly exercise. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/product-development-registration-series-beginning https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/product-development-registration-series-turning-nature https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/product-development-registration-series-development-launch Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
Jun 22, 202110:02
Managing Insecticide Loss - A Balancing Act

Managing Insecticide Loss - A Balancing Act

Anyone who has experienced difficulties managing insect pests such  will be only too aware of the implications of our ever-diminishing armoury of control products. Short pest life-cycles mean they readily develop insecticide resistance and if we can’t deploy enough different chemical, cultural or biological modes of action then this will be a important future challenge.  Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device.   Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
Jun 15, 202104:01
Insecticide Resistance - Know your mode of action

Insecticide Resistance - Know your mode of action

When it comes to insect pest control in particular, you can expect fewer chemical insecticides to draw from over time. Managing resistance risks to prolong the effective life of the products that remain becomes ever more important. So in this podcast lets have a look at how understanding their mode of action can help. Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device.   Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
Jun 08, 202102:08
Art of Application - essential tank mixing advice

Art of Application - essential tank mixing advice

Mixing chemicals in a tank is something we all have to do in Horticulture - but there is definitely ways to do it better - do you do them all?   Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device.   Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
Jun 01, 202109:46
Can I control pests in the future?

Can I control pests in the future?

With the remaining chemistry we have at our disposal, the risk of building resistance is becoming ever closer to reality. Subscribe and get the latest Potcasts straight to your device.   Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @SyngentaOCUK
May 25, 202103:06
Art of Application & improving your knowledge - Podcast Special

Art of Application & improving your knowledge - Podcast Special

The efficacy of Plant Protection Products can be dramatically improved with correct application techniques. Daniel Lightfoot and Glenn Kirby discuss the Art of Application and the small changes you can make to improve your spray applications.  Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online.
May 18, 202124:55
Keeping Botrytis in check

Keeping Botrytis in check

Cool, damp conditions at this time of year increase the risk from a range of foliar diseases including rusts, leaf spots and powdery and downy mildews – whether on crops such as pansy and viola, cyclamen or primula; or on stock being overwintered, in unheated tunnels for example. One that’s particularly damaging and difficult to manage is Botrytis, which is why I’m having a look at it in this first blog on the disease issues you need to be on top of through autumn and winter. Sound cultural practice is the first line of defence for them all. Adequate ventilation and air movement will avoid zones of high humidity, which favour foliar diseases, building up in glasshouses or polytunnels. You may want to consider installing fans if you haven’t already – even with the vents open it is surprising just how little air movement there can be over quite large areas, especially at floor level. Good plant spacing helps too, especially in crops with relatively dense arrangements of foliage where diseases like Botrytis can get established thanks to the humid conditions within that canopy. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/keep-seasonal-leaf-diseases-check
May 11, 202105:14
Rusts under Restraint

Rusts under Restraint

Rust diseases can strike at most times of the year but, like Botrytis and mildews which we featured in my last two blogs, they can be a particular problem in glasshouses and polytunnels during the colder months when it’s often a challenge to keep crops well ventilated and humidity under control. Rusts are caused by a huge group of fungal pathogens. There are well over 150 genera, Puccinia being the most significant. Estimates of the number of species vary but run to many thousands. Most of them, however, are highly specialised, having evolved to grow on just one, or sometimes several, host plant species. They usually have highly complex life-cycles, needing two different host plant species to complete them­ in some cases and involving several different kinds of spores. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/rusts-under-restraint
May 05, 202103:58
Measures for Mildews

Measures for Mildews

Botrytis is just one of the foliar diseases that pose a risk in the cool, damp conditions Two others to watch out for are powdery mildew and downy mildew. Despite their similar names they’re completely unrelated: powdery mildews are fungi while downy mildews are oomycetes, the same group of micro-organisms as those troublesome root diseases Pythium and Phytophthora. Oomycetes share some of the superficial characteristics of fungi but much of their genetics and biochemistry are totally different. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/measures-mildews
Apr 27, 202100:23
Biopesticides, types and getting the most from them

Biopesticides, types and getting the most from them

In this episode, we are going into detail on the different types of biopesticdes and how you can get the most from them. A biopesticide has to be authorised as a plant protection product and carry a unique product registration number known as the MAPP (which stands for Ministerially Approved Pesticide Product) number. Spraying is an area where Syngenta has a long history of expertise – visit our Art of Application pages to find out more about getting the best from crop protection product applications to ornamental crops. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/biopesticidesmakegrade
Apr 20, 202105:00
Time to Tackle Spider Mite

Time to Tackle Spider Mite

One pest that seems to have generated more than its fair share of enquiries is Tetranychus urticae, glasshouse red spider mite which is also known as two-spotted spider mite. Outbreaks are usually worst at the end of summer but this year the spell of hot dry weather we saw in spring may well have triggered some infestations. It’s a pest favoured by warm, dry conditions either under protection or, despite its common name, on outdoor ornamentals. It can be a particular issue in glasshouses thanks to its rapid lifecycle – around 12 days at 21°C ­– where it can be active year-round if the temperature doesn’t drop below 16°C. Listen to this episode to discover mroe about this pest to put you on the right side of controlling it when an attack happens.  Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/time-tackle-spider-mite
Apr 13, 202104:49
Understanding how fungicides work

Understanding how fungicides work

Understanding how fungicides work ­– their mode of action ­– not only helps in the design of spray programmes when new diseases or resistant strains of pathogen appear, it helps you minimise the risk of fungicide resistance evolving in the first place. Have a look at my earlier blogs on insecticide resistance, as the principles behind resistance management are similar for insecticides and fungicides. As the number of active substances authorised for horticultural use contracts, it’s vital to use treatments in a way that prolongs their effectiveness but delays or avoids the occurrence of resistance. As with insecticide resistance in pests, a pathogen that develops resistance to a fungicide is often cross-resistant to others that share similar chemistry – but resistances that affect all the active substances targeting one area of an enzyme or one step in a biological process don’t necessarily confer cross-resistance to those targeting another part. And in some cases resistance to one group of actives can make the pathogen more sensitive to another. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/understanding-how-fungicides-work-0
Apr 06, 202103:50
Amino acids as an antidote to stress

Amino acids as an antidote to stress

While plants can respond to protect themselves, at least in the short term, those responses take energy and can shut down some important parts of their metabolism, inevitably taking their toll on growth and development. Even when the stress is eliminated, the crop may never catch up so quality suffers with consequences for plant performance in the garden or landscape. An element of the stress response that is increasingly well understood is how it affects plant proteins. Proteins form the structural elements of cells and tissues but they’re also the enzymes that control all of the thousands of different biochemical processes in the plant – such as photosynthesis, nutrient transport, and regulation of flowering. Discover how amino acids can hep you combat stress in plants. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/amino-acids-antidote-stress
Mar 30, 202104:26
Syngenta Ornamentals Podcast Special - Subdue

Syngenta Ornamentals Podcast Special - Subdue

Daniel Lightfoot Business Manager at Syngenta Ornamentals interviews Fargro's Ant Surridge and Chris Dart about the product Subdue. How it works, what it controls and how to get the best out of it. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online.
Mar 23, 202135:14
Take the Stress out of Plant Health

Take the Stress out of Plant Health

A relatively new type of plant health product which complements both crop protection and nutrition, biostimulants are set to play an increasing role in integrated pest and disease management programmes for ornamentals. Because they have no direct effect on pests or diseases they fall outside the scope of plant protection legislation, but you still need to take care to source products from manufacturers who can provide the research and trials evidence to back their claims. Most reputable suppliers, including Syngenta, belong to the European Biostimulants Industry Council (www.biostimulants.eu). Biostimulants can include various substances, sometimes micro-organisms, that can boost plant vigour, yields, quality or stress tolerance. Many include nutrient compounds: though these act through different mechanisms to fertilisers, biostimulants have recently been brought into Europe-wide regulations covering the performance and quality of fertilisers and related products, which should help to raise product quality overall and give growers more confidence to use them. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online.  https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/take-stress-out-plant-health-0
Mar 16, 202103:26
Don't forget your roots!

Don't forget your roots!

Controlling root diseases is something not to be forgotten. This gives you more detail into the "behind the scenes" Root diseases caused by species of the oomycete pathogens Pythium and Phytophthora are particularly difficult to manage. Although they share some characteristics with fungi, some aspects of their biology and biochemistry are dissimilar meaning only certain fungicides, such as Subdue, have a mode of action able to control them. Different Pythium and Phytophthora species grow best at different temperatures: some Pythium species can grow and spread at below 15°C. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/dont-forget-your-roots
Mar 09, 202106:37
Active Growth for Crops with Resiliance

Active Growth for Crops with Resiliance

Ornamental crops can come under stress of one kind or another at any time but spring is arguably when it’s most likely. Tender young shoots and buds will still be at risk from cold damage at that point in the year whether plants are on the nursery or in transit in the supply chain. It’s the stress caused by overheating, lack of water and too much or too little light, however, that can be more difficult to spot and manage. Sudden changes in the weather, for example from cool and dull to hot and bright, can be particularly damaging if plants can’t adapt fast enough – think how quickly the temperature can climb in a greenhouse on a warm, windy day that would keep the vents closed. Modern monitoring systems (which we talked about in an earlier blog) can help you manage the greenhouse environment much more responsively; fans to keep the air moving and stop hot spots can also help. Want to know more about Syngenta Ornamentals - visit us at www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk or on Instagram (syngenta_ornamentals), Facebook (Synegnta Ornamentals UK) or Twitter @SyngentaOCUK or follow the blog online. https://www.syngentaornamentals.co.uk/blog/advisory-blog/active-growth-crops-resilience
Mar 02, 202104:21