Aptivis® fungicide is coming into its third year of commercial use on pipfruit crops to protect against control black spot, powdery mildew and Alternaria.
Gary Speers, Senior Technical Horticultural Representative at Fruitfed Supplies in Hastings, has worked with Syngenta personnel since the early development phase.
“Right from the start of the development phase with Aptivis, I could see the product’s efficacy trials for the key pipfruit diseases was next level,” says Gary. “As you’d expect, this trial work gives a very good indication of how well a product like Aptivis could perform in commercial real-world orchards.”
Gary has been recommending Aptivis since its registration. “Over the past two seasons, my confidence with the product’s efficacy has grown. I prefer to take a measured approach with product recommendations as there’s a lot happening for apple trees during the key timing for application of Aptivis to control black spot, powdery mildew and Alternaria.
“Throughout this time using Aptivis, we have seen outstanding disease control, compatibility with a wide range of products, and fruit finish.”
Paul Hassan, Syngenta NZ Technical Services Lead, comments, “That compatibility is no accident. Aptivis has been thoroughly tested in field trials and always demonstrated excellent tank-mix compatibility with commonly used orchard products. The results confirmed no phytotoxicity to foliage or fruit russet.”
Another appeal of Aptivis is its excellent rainfastness during a pressured period of the season.
“Growers are looking for robust disease control during high-risk weather events and having time to concentrate on chemical thinning as well.
“After just one hour of drying time, Aptivis forms a reservoir of its active ingredient, Adepidyn® technology, within the waxy layers of plant tissue. This protects the fungicide from wash-off during weather events. From there, it moves into deeper tissue layers and through the xylem, providing acropetal movement to protect expanding new growth.”
Powered by pydiflumetofen (Adepidyn technology), Aptivis is a fourth-generation SDHI fungicide with a unique FRAC chemical group subclassification. Its molecular structure gives it a tight binding affinity at the mitochondrial receptor site - delivering high potency, broad-spectrum activity, and provides a strong resistance management tool.
Paul urges growers to use Aptivis according to the best use recommendations to help protect this SDHI chemistry from any resistance management issues.
· Apply Aptivis as a protectant spray from tight cluster to 90 percent petal-fall.
· For dilute spraying, apply at a rate of 15 mL/100 L
· Aptivis can be applied up to 4X concentrate. Always adjust the 100 L product rate to match the concentration factor.
· Mix Aptivis with another approved, non-cross-resistant fungicide recommended for the same target diseases.
· A maximum three applications can be made per season, always in alternation with an effective fungicide from a different mode of action group.
For more information about utilising Aptivis in your pipfruit disease control programme, talk with your local Fruitfed Supplies Technical Horticultural Representative.
