The specialty horticultural supplier includes softer chemistry and organic options in its range of more than 40 fungicides, insecticides, herbicides and plant growth regulators specifically for use in wine and table grapes.
Chief executive officer of 7 Worlds Ag Ben Coombe, says one of the company’s organic products, ProBlad Verde fungicide, is proving invaluable for controlling late outbreaks of botrytis mould in grapes.
“This season, late rain just before harvest led Dealers and their customers to turn to ProBlad Verde to protect their table grapes against botrytis outbreaks,” Mr Coombe said.
“Based on the new BLAD protein, ProBlad Verde has organic certification and can be applied right up until the day before picking.”
The unique fungicide has preventative effects against diseases such as brown rot and botrytis grey mould in grapes, as well as in other crops such as stone fruit and berries.
Mr Coombe said products such as ProBlad Verde fungicide are a good example of the company’s commitment to developing more organic products and softer chemistry in line with market requirements.
He added that 7 Worlds Ag offers a full suite of fungicides to manage powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis grey mould, which continue to be the main diseases in grapes.
“These diseases are a challenge for grape growers as they can occur from dormancy throughout every growth stage,” Mr Coombe said.
“We also have growers and their advisers covered for managing secondary diseases like Phomopsis, black spot and Eutypa dieback in vines, with fungicides such as Fluaza-Stick 500 SC, Fortuna Globe 750 WG, Fruitcote and Thiram 800 WG.”
With global sulphur supplies and prices under pressure following the Middle Eastern conflict, Mr Coombe suggested Dealers and growers consider alternatives such as Myclonil WG, Pearl EW or Kingfisher systemic fungicide for controlling powdery mildew in vines this season.
“A by-product of petrochemical manufacturing, sulphur supplies are under pressure, but it is reassuring to know we can supply alternatives for keeping powdery mildew at bay,” he said.
“Myclonil WG has been well received in the table grape industry because it maintains the bloom on the fruit, unlike EC formulations.”
7 Worlds Ag also supplies a range of insecticides to manage pests such as mites, lightbrown apple moth, grapevine moth, mealy bugs, thrips, scale and plague thrips.
“Products such as Clama 50 SC, Peregrine, SpinoSec 240 SC and SpiroSec 240 SC all have a role to play in vineyards under pressure from insect pests, particularly when temperatures start to warm up in spring,” Mr Coombe said.
“We also have some useful plant growth regulators, such as Cyan PGR, a dormancy breaker which leads to more uniform flowering and bunch formation, so berries are ready to pick in a tighter harvest schedule.
“And for growers striving to grow larger berries, Ambitious and Sitofex are highly active plant growth regulators that utilise the same active ingredient, forchlorfenuron, to enhance berry size when applied as directed.”
Turning to herbicides, Mr Coombe forecast that new restrictions on the use of paraquat and diquat introduced by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) last month would quickly turn the spotlight on effective alternatives such as Beloukha organic herbicide.
Supplied exclusively in Australia by 7 Worlds Ag, Beloukha is a non-selective, biodegradable, contact herbicide that offers an organic choice for fast weed control, not just in vineyards and orchards but in a wide range of farm applications.
“In line with sound practice, we recommend that Beloukha is applied to young weeds to give rapid burndown of annual and perennial broadleaf and grass weeds,” Mr Coombe said.
A certified organic input, Beloukha is based on the active ingredient, pelargonic acid, which is found in sunflowers.
“Beloukha reflects the innovative chemistry that we at 7 Worlds Ag are developing to meet the growing needs of the Australian horticulture industry,” Mr Coombe said.
