An innovative new fungicide that protects apples and pears throughout flowering is now available to Australian fruit growers.
DuPont™ Fontelis® fungicide provides up to 10 days protection for black spot and 21 days for powdery mildew to help growers achieve pack outs which make them proud.
DuPont Crop Protection Strategic Brand Manager, Kristy Harder said “the new fungicide had been thoroughly tested in orchards throughout Australia and produced excellent results under a range of conditions”.
“The last two seasons have been quite challenging in many respects, but provided the opportunity to trial Fontelis in some quite adverse environments.
“We have been very pleased with the performance.
“Fontelis is a next-generation fungicide, which has a much broader spectrum of disease control when compared to older carboxamide chemistries.
“We believe it will be a welcome addition to the spray program where resistance issues represent a significant problem for the industry.
“With the DMI’s (Group 3) and Strobilurins (Group 11) under resistance pressure, there is an increasing need for new chemistry.”
New active ingredient
Fontelis is a Group 7 fungicide or a SDHI (Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor) and contains a new single active ingredient, Penthiopyrad.
Penthiopyrad has a unique mode of action that stops the growth of plant pathogenic fungi by blocking respiration and removing its energy source.
“Superior protection is achieved with Fontelis because of its ability to affect the fungus and halt progression of the diseases,” said Kristy.
“Its translaminar action and local systemic activity aids movement within the leaf to protect against disease and the excellent rain-fastness of just one hour, means it is an ideal product for a range of situations.”
Compatibility trials have been conducted globally with more than 250 tank mixes and no issues have been detected to this stage. However, Fontelis contains mineral oil and care should be taken when spraying in conjunction with other products which have challenges with summer oils—refer to the restrictions regarding summer oils on their label before application.
IPM & application
Fontelis has minimal impact on key beneficial insects in the orchard. As a result, it has a good fit in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
It should be applied prior to black spot disease development and continued at a 7– 10 day interval between open to tight cluster and petal fall.
Early application assists with excellent control of black spot and powdery mildew from the start, with Fontelis able to be applied until just prior to the formation of the fruitlets.
Always read the label before use
DuPont™, Fontelis® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
For contact details, see the November 2012 Tree Fruit
