Cereal growers have just one month to buy stocks of key fungicide products containing active ingredient chlorothalonil.

The multisite fungicide has been a mainstay in disease control programmes for many years and is particularly effective at controlling septoria in wheat and ramularia in barley.

It has also been an essential weapon in the fight against fungicide resistance in disease populations, helping to support single site-acting fungicide groups such as azoles and SDHIs when used against diseases such as septoria.

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A decision by the European Commission to ban the multisite fungicide was made public last March and UK regulators opted for a cut-off of 20 November 2019 for chlorothalonil product sales. Any purchased stocks must then be used up by 20 May 2020

John Poulton, managing director at independent input supplier Cropco, said there is no alternative that offers the same value for money, so growers should act quickly to secure supplies.

“I strongly suggest they speak to their agronomist, identify what they need and place their order to ensure they don’t lose out in the spring,” he added.