Kitchen Garden Forum

Just spotted this case on another gardening forum.
It looks as if the problem with aminopyralid in manure may not have gone away. Two plot holders on our allotments have potato leaf curl problems that looks like those caused by aminopyralid. They both used horse manure from the same source. It may be that the manure was produced before the reintroduction of the product under new guidelines but as the product was suspended in 2008 and not reintroduced until 2010 I find that a bit difficult to believe.

realfood, having been affected by aminopyralid three years ago, I researched the subject well at the time (with much help from glallotments on this forum!) and found that stacking the manure will not make the problem go away, but it has to be spread and mixed with the soil over a time. So, if the horse manure used by your allotment holders has been stacked up since 2008, perhaps it is still contaminated? Just a thought.

Hi Realfood,
Sadly Monika's comment are very true so these two cases could well be from before the long pause prior to the reintroduction of AP.
If the stable in question does not rotate their hay properly the horses could still be using up old hay. Hay is running short at this time of the year because the weather has prevented many farmers from producing any so far this year.
JB.

Yes, I copied my post from another forum and it related to plots in Oxfordshire. I am sure that glallotments will be interested to add it to her list for 2012.

Hi Realfood,
Aminopyralid could remain in stacked manure indefinitely so it isn't a surprise to find it still around. I had an email from someone who has an allotment in the SW which is all she told me and their site is affected to.

The South West is one area where aminopyralid was reintroduced for sale.

I haven't heard back from this person so I don't know whether the manure was old or new. It would be interesting to find out whether new suplies are being affected as if so the new stweardship isn't as effective as they thought it would be. The idea was that sources would be easily tracked but from what I have heard this isn't working out to be the case.

I would certainly be interested in mentioning any new cases on my website but only mention people who have given me permission. Can you PM me so I can see if I can contact the person affected.

Glallotments, did you see another case reported today on the same forum??

I didn't - I'll have a look thanks

I had a phone call from the NSALG rep for the Midlands to say that an allotment site near Birmingham suspected contamination. Unfortunately no-one who suspects they have been affected this year has sent me any details etc so I can't yet add a page to my website.

I'm only publishing reports that I receive first hand so that I can make sure anything that I write is accurate.

Unfortunately it seems that there are still lots of people who are unaware of the need to take care when sourcing manure.

Aminopyralid, the STI of amateur gardening passed on by pros.
I'll get me coat.

I've checked with a contact at the CRD and he tells me that sales of herbicides containing aminopyralid is still restricted to Scotland,
Northern Ireland and the South-West of England (Devon, Cornwall,
Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset).

I have just picked up these cases of aminopyralid contamination on another board http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,73252.0.html

Hi real food - thanks for asking them to contact me - so far requests to do so have come to nothing but one site affected is getting back to me after a committee meeting to gain permission to have their case publicised.

I don't want it to appear to anyone accessing the information on my site that the problem is resolved so I would like some case studies to add to my information.

Have just seen another case of weedkiller contamination but it may be Clopyralid contamination rather than aminopyralid. see here :- http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/vegging-out/aminopyralid-herbicide-damage-2012-a_67049.html#post1024180
It just shows that you cannot be too careful.

Also on the last thread, a case of aminopyralid contamination of bagged manure. This problem is just not going away!!

I hope you don't mind me latching on to this thread which seems to be the latest on this issue, and I can't find the thread where I made my original concerns.

My original concerns were about the cow-shxxt i'm using from the nearby farm, initially I didn't get a response when I asked what/if they used a herbicide. Six months later I find out that the farmer had been found on the floor of his farm, they thought dead, but he had a serious health problem.

Bless-him, he's recovered from blood-clots in his lungs and just taken the time to bring me the label from the chemical-containers. The stuff he uses and has used for as long as he remembers is Doxstar. I have the Dow-Chemicals information in front of me and it doesn't include any of the chemicals discussed around this isue but I can type a list of what is in 'Doxstar'.