With vine growth accelerating through the spring and early summer months, viticulturalists are paying careful attention to key diseases such as Botrytis and powdery mildew, which can negatively impact both yield and wine quality if not properly managed.
The Syngenta fungicide Miravis® Prime has now been registered in the New Zealand viticulture market for four years.
“Grower feedback on the performance of Miravis Prime in controlling both Botrytis and powdery mildew has been exceptionally positive,” says Paul Hassan, Technical Services Lead for Syngenta.
The key to the fungicide’s disease control capabilities lies in its dual-active formulation which is a unique combination of 150 g/L Adepidyn® technology (pydiflumetofen, Group 7) and 250 g/L fludioxonil (Group 12).
“The complementary, potent active ingredients in Miravis Prime attack fungal pathogens at four different stages of development,” says Paul. “This effectively disrupts the diseases’ lifecycles at a critical crop stage with a single application, while also helping viticulturists minimise the risk of Botrytis resistance developing to this fungicide.”
Prior to product development in New Zealand, Syngenta laboratory trials1 demonstrated that the Adepidyn technology component of Miravis Prime was up to ten times more potent against Botrytis than other SDHI fungicides, setting a new industry benchmark. The pre-infection activity of Miravis Prime inhibits spore germination, germ tube growth and appressorium and mycelium growth on and within the plant tissues, effectively shutting down infections before they develop.
Paul says, “When used as a single preventative application up to the 80 percent cap-fall growth stage (EL 25), the two actives in Miravis Prime form a protective barrier. The fungicide rapidly diffuses into the cuticle layer of the plant tissue. Being tightly held within the waxy cuticle layer once dry, it is rainfast, giving it good protection from wash off to provide extended protection through this susceptible disease risk period.”
In more than 20 field trials2 conducted in New Zealand between 2013 and 2018 by Syngenta, Miravis Prime consistently demonstrated superior disease control under local conditions.
“The high loading of Adepidyn technology in the formulation, combined with its exceptional potency, provides outstanding early-stage disease prevention of powdery mildew. It targets the invisible, pre-infection stages during the critical flowering period when inflorescences and foliage are most vulnerable. Any weakness in the powdery mildew spray programme during flowering increases the risk of the grapes being downgraded or rejected at harvest, so Miravis Prime is an excellent choice to control this disease during flowering.
“This high potency of Miravis Prime on powdery mildew helps to reduce damage to berry skins and the risk of subsequent Botrytis infection. Similarly, flowering represents a high-risk crop growth stage for Botrytis infection, so the single, preventative application is perfectly timed to stop latent infections developing during cap-fall.
“The combination of two distinct modes of action significantly reduces the risk of resistance in Botrytis populations, therefore maintaining long-term potency against this disease.”
When applied up to 80 percent cap-fall at the label rate of 100 mL per 100 litres of water and no later than 90 days pre-harvest, there is nil residue at harvest, giving growers full market access for their wines.
For resistance management purposes, one application of Miravis Prime is permitted per season. The addition of the sulphur fungicide Thiovit® Jet is recommended to support resistance management in powdery mildew populations.
Talk with your local Fruitfed Supplies Technical Horticultural Representative about using Miravis Prime in your vineyard disease prevention programme.
