Going straight to the top of its class

“My spot’s much better and so is the powdery,” says Brad Fankhauser about the impact of adding Luna® Sensation to his spray program last season.

Brad, of Fankhauser Apples near Drouin in Gippsland, says black spot is always a major disease threat in his orchards. “I know this farm’s full of it.”

Even in a relatively dry season, Brad says black spot can be a threat. “It’s surprising how little moisture it takes for it to take off – and we came into last season with a lot of spores around.”

Brad gives Luna Sensation most of the credit for the “great spot control” he achieved. “We put on two sprays early: one at flowering and one two weeks later. We didn’t follow them up late in the season because there just wasn’t much spot or powdery. I was really happy.”

Phil Butler, a local E.E. Muir agronomist who works closely with Brad in designing his spray program, says powdery mildew was also a big issue in the 2015/16 season. “In one of Brad’s blocks, disease pressure was really high and we controlled it very well.” Speaking more generally about the local orchards, Phil says: “Powdery mildew is the biggest problem and that’s what Luna is best on. It’s one of the better products that’s been released in the last ten years.”

While Phil appreciates that Luna Sensation should be used preventatively, on at least one occasion that involved spraying when some symptoms of the disease were already appearing – which gave him a strong indication of the new fungicide’s comparative effectiveness. “It’s the first product I’ve seen where you can treat infected buds and instead of being terminated they’ll grow through the powdery.”

While Brad and Phil may not entirely agree on the relative importance of the two diseases, they are both convinced that Luna Sensation can do a great job on black spot and powdery mildew. Figuring out how to get the best use out of it on alternaria, though, is still a work in progress.

Alternaria used to be a very minor disease in Brad’s orchards. “It was always in the background, but never really bothered us. Now it most often appears in January. Going to softer chemistry over the last few years has allowed some of these things to stick their hands up and say ‘Hey, you forgot about me!’”

In a 2014/15 season trial in his orchard, when Luna Sensation was only used late, Brad felt it did an exceptional job on the alternaria. Last season, he says, his decision not to use a third spray may have proved costly. “We had two big wins and one little loss.”

This coming season, Brad will remember that ‘one little loss’ as he considers whether to leave himself some scope to go back in with a third spray of Luna Sensation.