Spring is a critical period for vineyard disease management, with early protection helping growers stay ahead of powdery mildew, downy mildew, botrytis and phomopsis as the vines move from budburst to flowering. This season, Australian wine and table grape growers have access to an important new option.
ADAMA and Elders staff inspect the benefits of Folpan at the Faraday trial site in Victoria.
Folpan® 800 WG is the first new multi-site fungicide introduced to Australian vineyards in more than 20 years. It brings the established active ingredient folpet to local disease-management programs.
Folpet is a Group M04 contact fungicide. When applied preventatively, it forms a protective barrier on the plant surface and acts at multiple sites within fungal cells. This multi-site activity makes Folpan a valuable resistance-management tool, helping to reduce reliance on single-site chemistry and supporting the ongoing effectiveness of other important fungicides.
Daniel Polson, market development manager for horticulture at ADAMA Australia, said Folpan’s unique active ingredient has strengthened its role within resistance-management programs.
“Folpan has the benefit of containing a new, unique active ingredient that acts across different cellular levels,” Daniel said.
Used alongside single-site fungicides, Folpan adds a valuable multi-site component to resistance-management programs while giving growers and agronomists greater flexibility when building preventative disease programs.
Folpan is also highly selective against beneficial arthropods, including bees, parasitic wasps, predatory mites, as well as other beneficial microorganisms. This makes Folpan well suited to integrated and sustainable pest management programs, helping growers to protect their crops while supporting beneficial populations within the vineyard.
Folpan can be incorporated across several key stages of the season. It can be applied from early budburst for downy mildew, included in season-long powdery mildew programs alongside sulphur or single-site treatments, and used from early flowering as part of a preventative botrytis program. Folpan is also registered for Phomopsis cane, leaf spot and black rot in wine and table grapes.
The new fungicide has demonstrated strong performance across vineyard trial sites in major Australian growing regions. At the Faraday trial site in Victoria, ADAMA and Elders representatives reviewed the trial and discussed how the new multi-site option could fit within practical vineyard programs.
Folpan may also provide greater flexibility in programs where growers are looking to manage sulphur use. Trials have indicated the potential to use Folpan alongside lower sulphur rates while maintaining strong powdery mildew control. This may help reduce the pressure on beneficial insects and the risk of sulphur-related crop damage during hot conditions or on sensitive varieties.
Extensive Australian wine fermentation and sensory studies have also been completed as part of the local trial program. Folpet has established maximum residue limits in key Australian export markets and has been approved in the European Union through to 2039, providing further confidence for growers supplying domestic and export markets.
With its multi-site activity, compatibility with integrated pest management programs and flexible positioning throughout the season, Folpan gives grape growers another practical option for protecting crop quality and strengthening resistance-management programs.
Always read and follow the product label directions.
This article was written by ADAMA for Seasons magazine.
