A key component in effective disease prevention

It’s no surprise that Pristine® has been a staple on so many growers’ shopping lists for nearly twenty years, says Tim Herman, Senior Technical Services Specialist – Crop Protection with BASF New Zealand Ltd.

“Pristine is registered to prevent or control several of the most persistently damaging diseases in nine different fruit and vegetable crops,” says Tim. “One of the reasons why those diseases cause so much damage is that they are widespread and must be dealt with every year. Ideally they should be managed by pre-planned preventive sprays rather than trying to cure once crops are infected.”

Pristine’s disease control is powered by two actives, boscalid and pyraclostrobin, which work at different sites of action as well as in different ways. Boscalid, a Group 7 SDHI, stops both energy production and synthesis of amino acids and lipids that are critical for fungal growth. Pyraclostrobin, a Group 11 QoI, inhibits spore germination, mycelial growth and sporulation of the fungus on the leaf surface.

While both active ingredients are translaminar, meaning they can move into treated foliage to protect untreated leaf surfaces, Tim stresses the importance of achieving full plant coverage during application.

“Both the active ingredients in Pristine are at risk of resistance developing to them, but years of very careful use of Pristine have successfully mitigated this issue to a large degree. We urge growers to consider carefully their use of fungicides in these groups, deploying them strategically to ensure resistance levels are maintained at low levels. It is essential to respect the label recommendations for chemical rotation in all the registered crops.”

Pristine vs Different Crops

Botrytis is a major threat to several crops and Pristine is one of the go-to treatments to protect grapes, cherries, stone fruit and beans from infection. 

Grapes

In wine grapes, Pristine is also registered to control powdery and downy mildew, which has become more prevalent during recent wetter summer conditions. Tim notes, “It should only be used twice on every crop, so it’s important to plan the most strategic spray sequence and respond proactively to weather conditions which favour the rapid spread of disease. Pristine can be used from early flowering up to 28 days before harvest.”

Beans

Pristine protects beans from Botrytis and sclerotinia white mould, two common diseases that can seriously impact yield and quality.

Cherries and Stonefruit

Pristine can be used as a preventative spray up to three times (but only twice in succession) to control blossom blight, rust, and Botrytis. The spray window opens at early flowering and extends right up to harvest for cherries. Pristine should not be applied to other stonefruit beyond 100 percent petal-fall (before shuck-fall).

Citrus

Pristine offers robust protection against Alternaria brown spot, citrus scab and melanose. Similar to other crops, it can be applied up to three times in total and no more than twice consecutively before rotating to another mode of action. The spray window spans from flowering up to 24 hours before harvest.

Pipfruit, Kiwifruit and Onions

Pristine’s ‘double-barrelled’ mode of action effectively prevents and limits the spread of damaging infections in these crops. Since its launch in 2007, Pristine has consistently proven its reliability, delivering strong results season after season. With good stewardship, it will continue to deliver excellent value and results.

For export crops, grower should always check with their exporters or packhouses before using Pristine. Your local Fruitfed Supplies Technical Representative can help with more information.

ACVM registration number: Pristine #P007595. Read registered label before use.