If you grow grapes, you will most likely encounter disease this season. However, managing disease isn’t exactly easy. Sometimes, growers will experience a fungicide failure — a product just didn’t work. But understanding why it didn't work is the key to knowing what will work. Here are the top five reasons why your fungicide failed.

“Various modes of action will have different effects on the disease that you are after. If a mode of action is initially efficacious but, over time, experiences an adjustment in performance against particular fungi, it can become important to shift mode of action used to combat that fungi. This is a form of mitigation that can not only increase overall disease control performance, it can also help to alleviate those extraneous factors that developed in the fungi that limited the initial chemistry’s ability,” says Layne Wade, Technical Services Representative, UPL.

To control Botrytis fruit rot (Gray mold), ELEVATE® Fungicide (FRAC 17) gives grape growers high-quality protection. It features a unique active ingredient, fenhexamid, which has no effect on most beneficial insects and no known cross-resistance to other commonly used fungicides. With its one-day pre-harvest interval, ELEVATE can be used from bloom to within one day of harvest.

A broad-spectrum, Group 19 fungicide, PH-D provides excellent knockdown of Powdery mildew, Botrytis and other secondary rot-forming fungi such as Cladosporium. Its unique mode of action makes it a perfect addition to your resistance management tool box. PH-D features a 4-hour re-entry interval (REI) and a zero-day PHI, and can be applied preventatively in grapes when climatic conditions exist for the development of disease infection.

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, including PH-D^® Fungicide, as part of your resistance management program. Its flexible application timing and a 1-day pre-harvest interval even allows for late-season application.

Although you should consider all five factors when planning your fungicide sprays,

a strong management plan is key to balancing expectations for your crops. Implementing all components together is what growers truly need for effective disease control in their vineyard.

At UPL, you can count on a complete line of grape protection products and a staff dedicated to keeping your vineyard running strong. Contact your retailer or UPL sales representative for additional information, or visit www.arysta-na.com.