Achieving excellent control of diseases such as powdery mildew, especially early in the season, creates a strong foundation for producing high quality wine grapes and wines.
Vineyard specialist Mike Sleegers, of Cowaramup Agencies in the south-west of Western Australia, says his patch, save for a few challenges, is a perfect blend of climate and gravelly loams over clay soil.
“We have Margaret River to the south of us and Busselton to the north, and the Indian Ocean about 10km to the west,” he says.
“It is a fantastic place to grow grapes, although the challenge is early in the season.”
The Mediterranean-type climate usually consists of wet weather through September and October, making it hard to get into the vineyard early.
“Sometimes it's wet, sometimes it will rain when you want to spray, so those first six weeks of the season are usually pretty difficult,” he says.
“Powdery mildew is a big issue, because if you don't get those sprays on early, in those first six weeks, that's really when the powdery gets away. Whatever sprays you're going to use, you want to have really good protection for as long as possible.”
Mike says he works with his growers to set up a preventative disease program to provide maximum protection throughout that period of time.
“Product placement is about what works well and what suits the disease and the conditions.”
He says a key product for the control of powdery mildew in the early part of the season was now Seeker Duo fungicide, from Syngenta.
It has proved to be an excellent option, with long-term protection and curative properties to control disease which may already be in the crop.
“We used it in a vineyard where the grower couldn’t initially get on early because it was too wet.
He says Seeker Duo fungicide’s 21 days protection is vital at a time when wet weather can continue to be factor.
“I was really happy with the results we got, especially on the vineyard with the problem getting on to spray really early. I was really nervous, if we didn’t have the protection then the powdery was going to be out of control.”
“We got Seeker Duo on, and it’s worked a treat. It was fantastic.”
Combining two modes of action for excellent efficacy and resistance management, Mike says Seeker Duo fungicide had become a welcome addition to his program.
It has also provided opportunities to rotate with other chemistry later in the season and have a program which assists with resistance management.
“It’s crucial we use all the groups in the right sequence, so it gives us a longer life of all the chemicals.”
He says Seeker Duo represented a cost-effective solution, making it an economical option for growers early in the season.
“The more economical, the better. In this region programs are between six and 12 sprays, depending on what you are doing, and affordability is very important.”
Mike says they’ve had very good results from Seeker Duo in vineyards throughout the region.
“It's a fantastic product, and that early fit sets you up well for the season. If you use it at the right time, followed up with a good program, you'll get really good results for the rest of the season.”
He says the disease prevention program was aimed at producing grapes and high value wines the region is famous for.
“The most important part is to have the quality there. That makes the big difference between selling and not selling, whether it's the bottle or the fruit.”
