Taking a proactive stance against disease, insects and weeds usually means less pressure during the growing season and a greater yield at harvest. With the grape growing season coming to an end, this means that growers have a lot of decisions to make before next spring. Specifically, what fungicides, insecticides and herbicides will be best for your crop. UPL’s vast crop protection portfolio helps make those decisions easier with reliable products that keep your vineyard running strong.

Fungicides

Come springtime, one of the first diseases a grape grower will encounter is powdery mildew. If left untreated, Botrytis can follow and cause double the trouble. Taking control early in the season can help prevent the establishment of these costly diseases. UPL offers a variety of fungicides for grapes to provide growers the protection they need, including ELEVATE^®, PH-D^®, PROCURE^® and MICROTHIOL^® DISPERSS^®.

ELEVATE (FRAC 17) provides locally systemic activity and is excellent at controlling Botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew. ELEVATE can provide post-infection activity when applied early in the disease life cycle and has been shown to enhance the efficacy of other fungicides when used in a powdery mildew spray program. With a zero-day pre-harvest interval, you can use ELEVATE up to the day of harvest.

PH-D (FRAC 19) is a broad-spectrum fungicide that offers a high degree of Botrytis and powdery mildew control in grapes. Its benefits of a zero-day pre-harvest interval and 4-hour REI make it an excellent option for disease management sprays close to harvest. PH-D is the only product in FRAC Group 19, making it an important resistance management tool.    

PROCURE (FRAC 3) is rated as one of the highest for powdery mildew control. PROCURE has both protective and curative efficacies in controlling diseases, as well as systemic activity in the plant. When applied in a powdery mildew spray schedule, PROCURE will enhance the activity of registered fungicides used for Botrytis bunch rot control. It’s also available under brand name TRIONIC Fungicide in a larger pack size.   

MICROTHIOL DISPERSS (FRAC M2) combines sulfur and science to deliver superior protection thanks to a patented micronizing formulation process that improves suspendability in the spray tank and provides more consistent coverage and greater surface contact than other sulfur products. As a result, MICROTHIOL DISPERSS delivers excellent efficacy against powdery mildew, blister mite, bud mite, Phomopsis and red spider mite in grapes. 

Insecticides & Miticides

Some may consider mites and insects the most stubborn pests in a vineyard. Nothing can replace being proactive by diligently scouting the crop, determining your treatment threshold level and getting in early with your miticide treatment before a population explodes. UPL provides insecticides and miticides with the flexibility that growers need: quick knockdown, long-lasting control, and selectivity on beneficial insects and predator mites, all for excellent IPM compatibility. These products include ACRAMITE^®, VIGILANT^® and KANEMITE^® Miticides.

ACRAMITE (IRAC 20D) and VIGILANT (IRAC 20D) provide outstanding protection from spider mites at all stages. Both miticides have a short 14-day pre-harvest interval for grapes and a reputation for going easy on predator mites and beneficial insects. For most programs, VIGILANT and ACRAMITE can be used throughout the season whenever spider mites are present and populations begin to build, offering a solution that seamlessly fits within the framework of your integrated pest management regimen.

KANEMITE (IRAC 20B) offers exceptional control, rapid knockdown and long-lasting residual activity on two-spotted spider, Willamette spider mite and Pacific mites while going easy on predator mites and beneficials. Additionally, its unique active ingredient, acequinocyl, makes KANEMITE an ideal member of your resistance management program.

Herbicides

In California, growers should be aware of bothersome weeds such as glyphosate-resistant horseweed (marestail), fleabane and ryegrass. These weeds are easiest to control when they measure less than 3-4 inches tall and are still growing. For dependable weed control in grapes, UPL offers a portfolio of products including LIFELINE^®, SATELLITE^® Hydrocap and CASORON^®.

A non-selective, post-emergent herbicide, LIFELINE provides broad-spectrum weed control of some of the most challenging weeds, including glyphosate-resistant marestail, hairy fleabane, malva, and filaree. Using a unique mode of action, LIFELINE inhibits glutamine production in the weeds, which leads to a breakdown in photosynthesis.  

For another option in pre-emergent weed control, grape growers can turn to SATELLITE Hydrocap. The patent-pending encapsulation method offers growers a stable formulation to provide good shelf life and excellent mixing characteristics. SATELLITE Hydrocap delivers excellent control of grasses such as barnyardgrass, ryegrass, seedling johnsongrass and witchgrass and troublesome small-seeded broadleaf weeds such as lambsquarters and waterhemp. In addition, tank-mixing SATELLITE Hydrocap with LIFELINE herbicide in a pre-emergent application will provide burndown of emerged weeds, and effective pre-emergent control in a single application.

Additionally, CASORON is an excellent choice for control of glyphosate-resistant marestail, fleabane and ryegrass, as well as other hard-to-kill weeds such as Bermudagrass, bindweed and horsetail (Equisetum spp.). CASORON is a broad-spectrum pre-emergent and early post-emergent herbicide that provides a highly effective, long-lasting, non-selective herbicidal barrier that controls both germinating seeds and young, existing weeds by inhibiting growth of roots and shoots.

Proactivity is key. To learn more about how the UPL portfolio of crop protection products can keep your vineyard running strong, contact your local UPL sales representative or visit www.upl-ltd.com/us.

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