Success with sprouts

Brussels sprouts are a mainstay of the traditional Christmas dinner, but new varieties are now available, producing  well-flavoured, high quality sprouts throughout the seasons To optimise the marketing of these crops, growers require good management skills to ensure that their crops are clean and free from any disease.

One of the most common diseases in sprouts is a fungal disease called ringspot. This causes unsightly black spots on the sprouts which, if severe, can render the crop unmarketable. The disease is spread by airborne spores which infect the plants if weather conditions are conducive to spore germination and development.

Greenmount Campus, in conjunction with local grower Hugh Chambers of Reagh Island, has demonstrated new technology for trapping spores from ringspot.

A spore trap is placed in the sprout crop and is monitored weekly. The rationale is that if spore numbers do not reach the economic threshold level for the disease, control measures are not justified, despite suitable conditions for spore germination.

The monitoring of spores took place during the 2006 growing season. In certain areas of the sprout field, plant protection products were applied when the spore numbers were high. In other areas, the products were applied according to a disease prediction model, in conjunction with crop observation.

While both management tools proved successful the spore trapping gave greater ease of management resulting in a quality, blemish free crop.

Hugh Chambers is delighted with the outcome of the project. “Spore trapping gave me advance warning of when disease was in the air and likely to infect the crop” he said, “I was then able to take precautions to prevent this disease developing.”

If anyone wishes further information on this project or disease monitoring of leafy vegetable crops please contact Joan Hamilton, Edible Crops Adviser, Greenmount Campus on 02894426683

Hugh Chambers, Comber sprout growers and Joan Hamilton, Edible Crops Development Adviser, Greenmount Campus with disease free sprouts form spore trapping trial.