Recovery of Botrytis strains with multiple fungicide resistance from raspberry nursery plants

‘Long-canes’ which produce the first fruit crop within three months of being planted in spring are becoming the preferred raspberry nursery material in north-western Europe. However, infections of these canes by grey mould fungi (Botrytis spp.) are common. In a survey of Botrytis infections in 22 batches of long-cane plants from six different nurseries, high proportions of strains with resistance to fenhexamid (45.5 %), trifloxystrobin (87.3 %), boscalid (75.9 %), fludioxonil (35.0 %) and cyprodinil (46.4 %) were found. Further, 29.4 % of all strains harboured multiple resistance to all five of these fungicides. Fungicide-resistant strains increased in frequency during the first cropping season and were shown in one case to spread to an adjacent raspberry field within one season. Contaminated planting material may therefore compromise the long-term productivity of raspberry plantations.