Chestnut rot evaluation trials

This project is delivering chestnut rot trials of Difenoconazole and Pyraclostrobin to establish their level of efficacy and ensure there are no issues with the quality and safety of the subsequent nuts. This project is the first step towards achieving permit and/or label registration of chemicals that the chestnut industry could use to control/manage nut rot.

Nut rot of chestnuts is an emerging disease becoming of worldwide importance. In Australia, up to 70 per cent of chestnuts may be affected, while in Europe, losses may be as high as 90 per cent. The disease is mainly expressed after harvest and is cryptic, as healthy-looking nuts on the surface are rotten internally. It is a disease of great economic importance as infected nuts cannot be consumed, reducing consumer confidence when unknowingly purchasing infected chestnuts.