Reesink Brings Latest Toro Launch To BTME

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Reesink Brings Latest Toro Launch To BTME: The GreensPro 1260, Toro’s latest UK launch, will be headlining the Reesink Turfcare stand at BTME 2018. It’s also the first year that Reesink will have two stands. Joining the Reesink stand in Hall M is stand C32 dedicated entirely to TYM tractors to accommodate the range as it expands and where the new T393 will be on show.

Reesink Turfcare’s marketing manager Holly, comments: “There’s lots to be excited about this year. The show provides the perfect place to bring the latest launches from Toro to the UK market and showcasing the latest technology from one of the leading brands always generates a talking point. It’s great to have representation from all brands at the show and it’s right that TYM has its own stand to accommodate the range as it expands. We look forward to welcoming everyone to both our stands to see the line-up and share invaluable advice from our specialist machinery team.”

Reesink Brings Latest Toro Launch To BTME

Toro’s latest launch is the new GreensPro 1260 which takes all the excellent features of the previous Toro GreensPro models and adds a hydraulic drive system to eliminate leaks and prevent potential contamination of the grass, plus overlapping heads for a consistent roll over every pass. The benefit of this is two-fold: uniform smooth greens are achieved in just one sitting and the risk of scuffing during turns is dramatically reduced.

Representing the extensive range of Toro machinery and accessories will be the TriFlex 3420, eFlex 2100, Reelmaster 5010-H, Reelmaster 3575-D, Groundsmaster 4000-D, Workman GTX-E and the GeoLink Precision Spray System simulator, which debuted at the 2017 show.

Irrigation firm favourites for the fine turf and sports sector, including the Toro Lynx PC control software and the Infinity, Turfguard, T5, T7, Flex series, B series and 590 series sprinklers, will also be on stand. For Otterbine the best-selling Fractional five-in-one aerator is joined by the Concept 3, both are versatile and cost-effective aerating systems and fountains that improve water quality and enhance aesthetics.

On the TYM stand will be the latest addition to the compact tractor range, the T393. It has been brought to the UK by Reesink Turfcare because of its perfect positioning to bridge the gap between the compact utility range and the mid-duty range in the TYM line up. It further complements the mid- and heavy-duty TYM ranges, which are represented on stand by the T654. The TE145 flail mower from the recently launched range of attachments from Sicma completes the line up from TYM and indeed Reesink.

For more information go to www.reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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Future Of Disease Control Tracked With New Live Maps

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Future Of Disease Control Tracked With New Live Maps: A new disease forecasting tool on the Syngenta Greencast turf management website is now giving a clear picture of disease pressure across the United Kingdom – and predicts where there risk of infection is set to occur and will enable more informed actions.

Live Maps combine accurate weather forecast information along with proven disease prediction models, to foresee and track risks for up to five days before they occur.

Future Of Disease Control Tracked With New Live Maps

Encompassing Google maps, users simply zoom in to their own area for a close up of detailed local information. The maps cover all key turf diseases, along with forecast changes in soil temperatures and a new feature for Grass Growing Potential.

Daniel Lightfoot, Syngenta UK Turf Business Manager, enthuses that one of the great advances of Live Maps for greenkeepers is the ability to visibly track conditions and risks progressing across the country – and giving time to assess action plans.

“Targeting preventative disease programmes during periods of infection risk, but before symptoms break out consistently maintains better playing surface conditions,” he advocated.

Daniel pointed out that STRI research had shown fungicide programmes based on proactive forecasting maintained better conditions using fewer applications over the course of the season, compared to routine application or treatment at the first signs of disease.

“Timing is the absolute key,” he advised. “Live Maps is a new way to better pinpoint the optimum application timing.” He believed that turf managers are going to have to get ever better at prevention in the future, to mitigate the impending loss of iprodione and to meet the increasingly stringent demands of today’s players

“Whilst products such as Instrata Elite have excellent curative activity on early disease stages with in the leaf, the results are consistently better and longer lasting if it can be applied before symptoms have broken out on the surface,” he added.

Danial believes the new Grass Growing Potential maps will be especially useful for aiding Primo Maxx application interval timing – enabling turf managers to focus on periods of peak growth and potentially ease off when conditions are less favourable.

“If you use Grass Growing Potential in conjunction with soil temperature, it could be highly beneficial for timing renovation or over seeding activities to get seedlings off to the best possible start,” he said. “It also has a role for predicting turf recovery and implications for the disease management programme.”

The Live Maps are available now free for all registered GreenCast subscribers, under the ‘Weather’ tab in the navigation bar.

For more information go to www.greencast.co.uk

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European Commission Relicense Glyphosate

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European Commission Relicense Glyphosate: Weedkiller Glyphosate has been given a last minute reprieve after a European Commission (EC) committee granted a fresh licence for the herbicide’s continued use across the EU.

The relicensing follows months of indecision by the EC. The EC Appeals Committee finally reached a qualified majority to renew glyphosate for five years.

European Commission Relicense Glyphosate

The decision to grant the herbicide a licence for a further five years was reached by the EU Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, comprising representatives of the 28 member states, after a series of meetings this year failed reach consensus.

The approval comes just a few days before the current licence expires on December 15, which left many professional users in the horticulture industry fearing a sudden ban with drastic effects.

A qualified majority of member states voted in favour of the Commission’s proposal for a five-year re-approval (18 in favour, nine against and one abstention). Germany voted in favour of re-approval, having previously abstained. This ensured the qualified majority for approval, as 18 member states voted in favour, including Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania which previously abstained, while nine member states voted against and just Portugal abstained.

The UK was in favour, as was Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Ireland and Spain.

Against were Belgium, Greece, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and Austria.

Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said: “Today’s vote shows that when we all want to, we are able to share and accept our collective responsibility in decision making.”

Crop Protection Association chief executive Sarah Mukherjee said: “Whilst we are pleased that the science has eventually prevailed, the politicisation of what should have been a standard re-approval process sets a worrying precedent for the future of crop protection and sustainable farming in Europe.

“The loss of glyphosate would have caused significant damage to the economy, the environment and the agricultural sector.

“British farmers will be relieved that this vital tool will continue to be available to them, and they will be able to continue to do what they do best, providing us with safe, healthy, affordable food.”

NFU vice president Guy Smith said: “It is good news that farmers and growers will be able to continue using glyphosate for another five years. However, the fact remains that there is absolutely no regulatory reason why it should not have been reauthorised for 15 years, as was originally proposed.

“Independent regulatory bodies around the world, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), have looked at all the scientific evidence and concluded glyphosate is safe to use. But their conclusions have been ignored and their credibility has been undermined.

“Glyphosate reduces the need to use other herbicides, it helps to protect soil and cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the need for ploughing, and it enables farmers in this country to grow crops that help produce safe, affordable, high quality British food.”

MEP Anthea McIntyre said: “The scaremongering and indecision over this product had left farmers and growers fearing they were staring over a cliff edge, so this will be greeted with enormous relief.”

A World Health Organisation report labelled it a suspected carcinogen; but a large body of peer-reviewed studies have shown this not to be the case.
McIntyre, member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, added: “It should never have taken this long to renew the licence and it should have been renewed for a full 15 years but the last minute reprieve and the licence for five years is welcome.
“Many farmers are making a big effort to build up the levels of organic matter in soils by using ground cover crops and “no-till” farming methods, backed up by application of glyphosate. This gives us carbon sequestration, protection from soil erosion and avoidance of water evaporation.
“A de facto ban on glyphosate would have been a shocking and unscientific backward step.
“Farmers would have had to fall back on mechanical weed control. That would mean 25 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions and a significant impact on farm bird life – including skylarks, partridge, lapwing.
“For a zero Improvement in public health and safety, we would have been worsening food security, soil quality, biodiversity and climate change.”

Monsanto’s Gary Philpotts said: “The Roundup brand is doing well, considering the issues around glyphosate.”

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