Technical training encourages preventative powdery action

Technical training encourages preventative powdery action
Syngenta technical services lead Len Ibbotson

A technical training session held in Adelaide yesterday informed viticulturists and agronomists on how to get the most out of their pesticides in the vineyard. The training was hosted by Syngenta, who took the opportunity to ensure that the industry was familiar with its new to market products, and confident in how and when to use these as soon as they become available to the trade.

Syngenta technical services lead Brandy Rawnsley talked through the particularities of one of the company’s latest fungicides, and explained how best to apply the pesticide to grapevines to combat powdery mildew.

Attendees were advised on best management practices of powdery mildew using a product called Seeker Duo, with Rawnsley stressing that the product works best as a preventative measure, rather than a curative treatment.

 

The technical training covered which points in the growing season were optimal for fungicide application

 

Rawnsley guided the room through trial results demonstrating the efficacy of the pesticide, which is a combination of two chemical compounds: fenpropidin and difenoconazole, compared to each fungicide when trialled individually, to highlight the benefit of the combination on powdery mildew management in winegrapes.

The training covered details of several nation-wide pesticide trials, including in Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Barossa Valley. Many in the crowd were visiting from interstate, with a view to understanding the intricacies of powdery mildew management across the various and changing climate.

Rawnsley noted that although high temperatures are sometimes considered low-risk for powdery mildew activity, it was crucial to note that the temperature within the canopy is often dramatically cooler than the air temperature.

“If it’s 40 degrees outside, it’s not 40 degrees within the canopy, we know that. So yes, you might kill the spores that are on the very outside, getting exposed to that high temperature and the UV, but within the canopy it’s still festering.”

“What we want to do is we want to use Seeker Duo preventatively or early in the lifecycle of the fungus to stop symptom development. If you’re using this product when you’ve already got [powdery mildew] symptoms, it’s too late.”

Rawnsley also highlighted the benefit of a new mobile application to strengthen communication between viticulturists and surrounding beekeepers, to ensure as much information was shared between the two groups as possible. The app, called “BeeConnected”, allows farmers to log what products they are spraying and when, so that beekeepers can be informed and position their hives accordingly. Through this app, growers can receive notice of nearby beehives, and similarly beekeepers can share relevant information with growers.

Rawnsley noted that the product she was introducing was determined not to have an “adverse impact” on bees, however she encouraged growers to access the resource as it could be relevant to their general vineyard management.

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