by Layne Wade, Technical Sales Support, Arysta LifeScience

Grape growers know that disease management is a season-long effort. So it is no surprise that June is another critical month in the fight against Botrytis and Powdery mildew.

In June, warm temperatures and moisture often pair up, increasing the chances for grapes to catch and spread disease. Additionally, fruit flies may help spread Botrytis spores on their bodies from plant to plant. The fungal infection colonizes on the surface of plant tissue and invades the top layers of epidermis cells. The invasion can cause epidermal cracks, where fungal growth produces mycelium and spores, resulting in the gray, velvety appearance of infected grapes. In the end, infection causes extensive losses to plant growth, crop yield and fruit quality.

Fungicide application at bunch closure of grape clusters is often the last opportunity to achieve residue deposition on the interior of clusters. Bunch closure indicates the stage when the fruit is about half-grown, as it starts to resemble a cluster of grapes. Spray coverage is less effective as the cluster grows fuller. At full growth, it is extremely difficult — if not impossible — to deliver fungicides to cluster centers.

Additionally, researchers recommend removing leaves from around grape clusters to effectively protect them with fungicides and combat disease pressure. Botrytis and Powdery mildew can be eliminated with three fungicides that work together from Arysta LifeScience: VITICURE®, PH-D® and ELEVATE® Fungicides.

VITICURE is an economical and highly effective fungicide that helps break the infection cycle. The fungicide provides both preventative activity and curative action on fruit that is already showing the first signs of Powdery mildew.

VITICURE is a unique imidazole. It has no known cross-resistance to other triazoles in the demethylation inhibitor (DMI) group of fungicides classified as Group 3, making it an ideal member of your resistance management program. Its 7-day PHI offers flexibility to apply even late in the growing season, and it can be tank-mixed with PH-D or ELEVATE for enhanced activity against Powdery mildew and Botrytis.

PH-D is a broad-spectrum, group 19 fungicide that provides excellent knockdown of Powdery mildew. It can be applied preventatively in grapes, up to three times per year, when climatic conditions exist for the development of Powdery mildew and other disease infection such as Botrytis. PH-D features a 4-hour re-entry interval (REI) and a zero-day PHI.

Finally, ELEVATE is a protectant fungicide that binds with the waxy layer of the grape and disrupts the Botrytis life cycle from first bloom all the way to harvest. ELEVATE is the only member of the FRAC group 17 fungicide class for resistance management and, when used in a tank-mix or rotation with other fungicides, delivers 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. ELEVATE, PH-D and VITICURE 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}