As the grape growing season comes to an end, growers have a lot of decisions to make before next spring. Some of those decisions involve crop protection — including what fungicides, insecticides and herbicides fit best in their cropping system. After all, taking a proactive stance against disease, insects and weeds early usually means less pressure during the growing season and a greater return at harvest. UPL has a strong arsenal of protection for grape growers to use from bud break to harvest.

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^® Fungicide, PH-D^® Fungicide, PROCURE^® Fungicide and MANZATE^® Fungicide.

For control of late-season Botrytis bunch rot, Group 17 fungicide ELEVATE gives grape growers high-quality protection. With its unique active ingredient, there is no known cross-resistance to other commonly used fungicides. One added benefit of ELEVATE is that it can be used within one day of harvest.

A broad-spectrum Group 19 fungicide, PH-D provides excellent knockdown of powdery mildew and aids in the control of Botrytis bunch rot later in the season. For late-season Botrytis bunch rot control, apply seven days prior to harvest. For powdery mildew, PH-D can be applied up to the day of harvest. PH-D features a 4-hour re-entry interval (REI).

Rapidly absorbable and locally systemic, PROCURE works as both a protectant and curative that’s ideal for in-season relief of powdery mildew. The fungicide has a unique mode of action and is tank-mixable, making it an ideal rotational partner with other fungicides as part of your resistance management program. Its flexible application timing and a 1-day pre-harvest interval even allows for late-season application.

A multi-site protectant fungicide, MANZATE provides advanced formulation technology in the fight against key crop diseases, including dead arm and downy mildew. The fungicide prevents pathogenic organisms from adapting and mutating, meaning that even after decades of use, fungal strains have not developed resistance to MANZATE.

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^® Miticide, VIGILANT^® Miticide, KANEMITE^® Miticide, ASSAIL^® Insecticide and ZYLO^® Insecticide.

Offering rapid knockdown and long residual control of all stages of spider mites, ACRAMITE and VIGILANT can be applied throughout the season. Easy on beneficial insects and predatory mites, both are ideal for integrated pest management programs.

KANEMITE offers fast knockdown of all stages of spider mites with a unique chemical subgroup, which also assists resistance management. With a short pre-harvest interval, KANEMITE is a great option to control two-spotted spider mites and Pacific spider mites towards the end of the season.

With unique translaminar activity and control of sucking and chewing insects, ASSAIL can be used against leafhoppers, grape berry moth and mealybug. When used alone or as part of a resistance management program, this product is effective at controlling insects at all stages. Widely regarded as one of the most versatile insecticides on the market today, ASSAIL can be used on a broad range of crops — from tree crops to vegetables to cotton.  

ZYLO is an excellent choice for control of a wide range of damaging lepidoptera pests, like grape berry moth and leafrollers. As an insect growth regulator, ZYLO won't disrupt beneficial insects, mites or pollinators in many crops. 

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^® Herbicide, SATELLITE^® Hydrocap Herbicide 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 newly developed and 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 barnyard grass, ryegrass, seedling johnsongrass and witchgrass and troublesome small-seeded broadleaf weeds such as lambsquarters and waterhemp.

Additionally, CASORON is an excellent choice for control of glyphosate-resistant horseweed (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, nonselective herbicidal barrier that controls both germinating seeds and young, existing weeds by inhibiting growth of roots and shoots.

On the horizon

And for overall plant health, pending registration in California is VACCIPLANT® Plant Defense Stimulant. The preventative treatment uses active biological compounds to stimulate food and non-food crops’ natural defense mechanisms to boost disease resistance, plant health and yields in grapes. VACCIPLANT improves conventional spray performance using both SAR (systemic acquired resistance) and ISR (induced systemic resistance) modes of action to stimulate the salicylic and jasmonic acid pathways, and it can be used in rotation as part of a resistance management program.

From bud break to harvest, UPL has a staff dedicated to keeping your vineyard running strong. To learn more, contact your local UPL sales representative or visit www.upl-ltd.com/us.

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