by Layne Wade, Technical Services Manager, Arysta LifeScience

The seasonal cycle of a grapevine happens every year in a grape grower’s vineyard. From budbreak to harvest, growers are constantly tending to their vineyards as berries grow and mature. As we enter veraison and harvest, growers should be aware of the fruit’s continuous susceptibility to diseases like Gray mold, which is caused by Botrytis cinerea, the leading cause of berry and fruit rot. If left untreated, Botrytis can lead to extensive losses in both crop yield and fruit quality.

Veraison

At veraison, the ripening stage before harvest, berries change color and increase significantly in size. In this stage, damaged berries can attract fruit flies that may spread Botrytis as they carry spores on their bodies from grape cluster to grape cluster. The fungal infection colonizes the surface of berry tissue and invades the top layers of epidermis cells. The invasion can cause epidermal cracks, where fungal growth produces mycelium and spores, resulting in a gray, velvety appearance of the infected grapes, leading to a proliferation of inoculum that can continue the cycle of infection.

The onset of veraison is one of the last opportunities to apply a material to help reduce the damage caused by bunch rot organisms. This is particularly true since, as the berries mature, they are increasingly susceptible to infection, with the peak of this susceptibility occurring pre-harvest.

Harvest

Harvest is a good time for growers to reflect on the season’s pest management program and evaluate the effectiveness of it. Taking notes during this process will help plans for next year’s management program. Keeping Botrytis in check all the way through veraison and harvest requires a season-long approach and rotations with effective materials. Arysta LifeScience brings two fungicides to get the job done: PH-D® and ELEVATE®.

PH-D is a broad-spectrum, Group 19 fungicide with a 0-day pre-harvest interval and 4 REI in grapes. By preventing cell wall construction via chitin inhibition by enzyme interference, Ph-D offers a unique mode of action, making it an exceptional asset for your resistance management plan. In addition to Botrytis, Ph-D offers control of other grape diseases, like Powdery mildew and Cladosporium, in a single application.

ELEVATE is a protectant fungicide that binds with the waxy layer of the grape and disrupts the Botrytis life cycle from spore germination to the beginning of mycelial growth and colonization. It is the only member of the FRAC Group 17 fungicide class and can be tank-mixed or used in rotation with other fungicides. Either way, you can count on ELEVATE to deliver dependable and economical Bunch rot control.

To learn more about the Arysta LifeScience portfolio of crop protection products, contact your crop protection retailer, visit www.arysta-na.com or call 886-761-9397.

^{Always read and follow label directions. PH-D, and ELEVATE are registered trademarks of an Arysta LifeScience Group Company. Arysta LifeScience and the Arysta LifeScience logo are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience Corporation. © 2018 Arysta LifeScience Group Company. SPC-17108}