Regulatory seeding failure on oil pumpkin in Austria

The cultivation of oil pumpkins is suffering from enormous damage this year. The cultivated areas in Styria and Lower Austria are particularly affected. According to an "Oil Pumpkin Task Force" set up in Styria, 2,500 of the 8,800 hectares of cultivation area in the Green Mark alone are a total loss and have to be plowed up. Another 4,000 ha are also damaged, only 1,700 ha (around 20%) are in a satisfactory condition. The cause of the failures is a stain used for the first time, which has official approval but had a germ-inhibiting effect under the adverse weather conditions. Saatgut Austria, the umbrella organization of the domestic seed industry, also sees the long-lasting wet and cold weather in spring in combination with the dressing as the cause of the damage. As far as the stain is concerned, the previously used active ingredient Metalaxyl-M was no longer allowed to be used due to official regulations. As in the previous year, an application for emergency approval was ...